After more than 20 years since the ancient Vietnamese capital of Hue was
recognised as a world cultural heritage site, it has been appraised by
UNESCO officials and international organisations as a good example of
heritage conservation.
The Hue ancient capital
complex in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue was the national
capital from 1802 to 1945 under the Nguyen dynasty.
The success of the August Revolution in 1945 put an end to the 143-year
reign of this dynasty. Fierce fighting, notably in 1947 and 1968, and
two severe floods in 1953 and 1971 subsequently ruined many buildings in
the complex.
In 1982, a Hue-UNESCO working group
was established to take charge of the restoration of the relic site and
in 1993 the complex became the first in Vietnam to be recognised as a
world cultural heritage by UNESCO.
Since then, Hue
city has exerted every effort to preserve the heritage’s value. The Hue
Relic Conservation Centre has coordinated with provincial departments
and offices to conserve the site, particularly through a project that
lasted from 1996 to 2010.
Thanks to the project,
conservation work has been carried out systematically, restoring relic
sites, intensifying international cooperation and applying scientific
advancement.
During 1996-2013, 800 billion VND was
spent on restoring 100 architectural buildings. Most recently, a project
on the entire restoration of the complex worth nearly 1.3 trillion VND
has been implemented, opening up the promise of the comprehensive
recovery of the whole site
The work has received
praise from UNESCO and other international organisations. However, the
locality is facing a lot of challenges, including the impacts of
environmental pollution and climate change. The resettlement of people
living around the complex is also concerning local authorities. At
present, there remain over 3,000 households living within the complex
planning area.-VNA