Gathering ideas on an overall conservation and restoration plan of Thai Hoa Palace monument

Researchers and experts commented on the restoration of Thai Hoa Palace

According to the plan of restoring, repairing and embellishing Thai Hoa Palace, Hue Monuments Conservation Center will demolish all of the roofs, restore the lower and upper roofs; demolish the entire frame system and wood structures so as to assess the quality of each structure and propose a detailed restoration and repair plan; and restore the painting for all of the wooden structures, etc.

For the systems of road yard and handrail, they will dismantle and reinforce the sloping wall sections, reinforce the foundation structure with reinforced concrete; dismantle the damaged handrail sections, and recover them with brick and TH mortar; dismantle the entire Bat Trang brick-paved road yard, restore the Bat Trang brick-paved floor, and curb the pavement with bricks according to its origin, etc.

The conference received many comments from researchers and experts. Some comments note that Hue Monuments Conservation Center needs to access additional resources, including original images, and restoration drawings under the reign of Emperor Khai Dinh, as well as knowledgeable witnesses about this monument, so that the restoration will ensure the authenticity. It is necessary to have a plan to renovate the decorative arts of Thai Hoa Palace, especially the poetic system on the wood and Phap lam paintings; pay attention to the embellishment of the landscape associated with this monument; and refer to the international conventions when restoring world heritages, etc.

Thai Hoa Palace, which was built in 1805, is one of the typical buildings of Hue imperial architecture, with the form of "trùng thiềm điệp ốc" (“two sets of roofs on one platform”). The monument, which has been existed for a long time and undergone through 22 restoration times, is now seriously degraded, especially after the storms and floods in 2020. The Government has currently allocated a capital of VND 100 billion to restore and repair the monument urgently.

Story and photo: Minh Hien