This information was announced at a January 11 conference to review the activities of the Hue Relics Preservation Centre in 2016 and implement its tasks for 2017.
The projects include Ngo Mon (Noon Gate) site and Tho Ninh temple (second phase); Bi Dinh site under Tu Duc Tomb; the mausoleum area under Duc Duc Tomb; wall system and Tu Cam Thanh Gate and Ho Quyen Site (first phase); Nghinh Luong Dinh Site; Long Chau Temple and infrastructure in the Hue Imperial Citadel.
Meanwhile, the centre will continue to exploit the “Hue—One Destination, Five Heritage Sites” tour. This year, some places in the Hue Imperial Citadel will open to visitors at night, from 6:30pm to 10pm every day, as a pilot project by the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre. The places include Ngo Mon Gate (Noon Gate), Thai Hoa Palace (Supreme Harmony Palace), The Mieu (Ancestral Temple), Dien Tho Palace, Truong Sanh Palace, Tu Phuong Vo Su Pavilion and Hoa Binh Gate (Peace Gate).
According to the Centre’s Director Phan Thanh Hai, the move aims to offer tourists more time to cover interesting places in the Citadel due to their feedback on hot weather in the summer.
The centre is moving to host exhibitions highlighting the cultural and historical values of such rituals as the changing of the guard, the performance of nha nhac (“court music”) and traditional crafts and worshipping, he noted.
So far, nearly 130 facilities at the relic site have been upgraded with a total investment of about VND 1.2 trillion (US$ 52.7 million), including Ngu Phung Pavilion, Long An Palace, The Mieu Temple, Tu Duc Tomb and Phu Van Lau Pavilion.
The imperial relic site was recognised by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1993.
This year, the centre aims to welcome 2.5 million tourists and rake in VND260 billion (US$ 11.4 million) in revenues.