Germany helps restore Hue’s historical sites

The restoration of Buu Thanh gate and screens of King Tu Duc’s tomb in the central city of Hue, have been completed under a German-funded project.
The project, which received funding of 3.4 billion VND from the Germany Foreign Ministry, was carried out between November 2009 and December 2010.
The restoration work was carried out by experts from the German Conservation, Restoration and Education Project (GCREP) headed by chief restorer Andreas Teufel and five local skilled technical staff.
The project has helped to preserve and reveal the aesthetic and historical value of hue’s historical sites, following the international standards regulated in UNESCO’s 1964 Venice Charter on the conservation and restoration of monuments and sites.
The tomb was built between 1864 and 1867 on nearly 12 ha and has been one of the most successful projects in the preservation and restoration of Hue Royal architecture.
According to the Centre for Restoration of Hue Relics, the restoration methods used this project are not widely used in Vietnam but are now expected to be extended to other projects across the country.