Japan helps rebuild ancient Hue palace

Japan will provide nearly US$10 million to build a replica of Hue Citadel’s Can Chanh Palace from 2010-2015, which was destroyed during the war in 1947.
The project, developed by Japan’s Waseda University and Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, is part of a programme which begun in 1998 to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Hue Citadel.
At the conference on August 13 to report the programme’s results during 1998-2008 in Hue City, more than 100 scientists and researchers from local and foreign organizations including the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Japanese university and the conservation centre drew up a plan to rebuild the palace.
The Can Chanh Palace, built in 1804 during the Nguyen dynasty, was the place where the emperor met his courts, the public and ambassadors from other countries. It was the Tu Cam Thanh (forbidden Citadel)’s largest and most beautiful palace.