Phan Thanh Hai stated that the restoration work would enhance the tourism experience in Hue. Hue was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1993. Since then, it has attracted US$8 million in international aid and this has enabled the conservation centre to carry out the restoration work.
For the 2014-2015 fiscal period, UNESCO chipped in US$30,000 to the preservation fund. The US Ambassadors Fund has provided US$700,000 over the past two years. Japan and the UK are among nations joined by private enterprises such as France’s Rhone Polenc Chemicals which have donated to Hue’s restoration projects.
Hue is one of Vietnam’s unmissable attractions and so far this year has welcomed an estimated 1.5 million tourists. This represents a 10 per cent increase on the figure for the same period in 2013.
Hue Citadel sits on the banks of the Perfume River and is an enclosed complex that was the private residence of the Nguyen dynasty. The citadel and tombs of former emperors such as Minh Mạng together with Thien Mụ Pagoda offer illuminating insights into the Southeast Asian nation’s rich cultural heritage.
Hue historic sites get revamp
News in Asia
A good number of the historic monuments and buildings in the Vietnamese city of Hue have been given a spruce up. The director of Hue’s restoration project told media representatives that work on 132 sights at the royal citadel and temples was now complete and they were now the epitome of their former glory.