Fifteen years after Hue achieved its world heritage status, the ancient citadel has moved beyond the state of emergency and into a phase of sustainability, says Vibeke Jensen, UNESCO’s representative in Viet Nam.
Jensen was addressing a ceremony to mark the 15th year of Hue’s world heritage inscription and fifth year of the intangible heritage status awarded to nha nhac (court music), held yesterday inside the citadel where the country’s supreme power was once seated.The last 15 years have witnessed significant efforts from local authorities in safeguarding the heritage with over 100 relics and ruins restored or renovated at a total cost of US$ 6 million.Restoration work has been carried out on monuments of great importance such as Thien Mu Pagoda, and the tombs of Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Dong Khanh.The conservation efforts have extended from the relics to their environs with invading houses removed and the landscape around the protected sites better managed.These efforts have proved successful in reviving Hue from the damage of the wars and the erosion of time, when a majority of the monuments completely disappeared.In the meantime, the intagible heritage of nha nhac has also been revived with training imparted to a new generation of artists. The nha nhac conservation project, aided by the Japanese government, has been regconized as one of the most effective of its kind in the region.The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre was particularly hailed for its contribution to the conservation work.Jensen also expressed concerns about the conflict between heritage conservation and development, pointing to growing urbanisation and poorly managed tourism development as serious threats to the heritage’s integrity."The challenge is to strike the right balance," she said.Extension to the boundaries of the inscribed sites and their buffer zones, an expanded inventory to include surrounding natural features and an integrated management plan involving different authorities and stakeholders are necessary steps to be taken during the sustainability phase, experts said.Nguyen Ngoc Thien, chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee, attributed the success to better people’s awareness, saying that the people can in return, benefit from the growing number of tourists visiting the heritage city.
