“This is a golden opportunity to relocate people in Thuong Thanh, Eo Bau as well as some relics inside the Citadel. Once completed, it will contribute greatly to all three sides,” said the researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa, former director of the provincial Department of Culture and Information.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, the first benefit is to restore the value of Hue monuments. The second is contributing to the formation of new residential areas, creating livelihoods for thousands of people. Finally, the project helps refurbish Hue urban space in the inner city.
“When people move and hand over the land, we have to immediately start investigating the situation, from the stairways, to the fortresses, the artillery workshops… We need to plan projects or subprojects right away. We need to embellish land as it is cleared and must not allow the unkempt state to continue," Mr. Hoa stressed.
Head of Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts in Hue - Dr. Tran Dinh Hang also said that after the relocation of households in Thuong Thanh - Eo Bau, a large area of litter, sewage sump pits and concrete rubble from house demolition will be left behind. So, cleaning up and "greening" the area is an urgent and top priority. The long-term strategies are the plan and solutions for restoration of relics and landscapes associated with the wall, gun turrets, guard points and gates.
About the restoration plan, according to Dr. Tran Dinh Hang, pilot restoration of important works associated with specific spaces must be implemented first. Then, from the implications of these pilot projects, expand the model and methods of restoration and embellishment.
"Keeping tradition and giving soul to the heritage will help to bring typical vitality to Thuong Thanh area, which is an important component of Hue Citadel," Dr. Hang stated. It is time to implement the policy of socialization in researching, restoring and promoting the value of monuments associated with tourism with the role of creating destinations unique to Hue.
Dr. Hang suggested that Hue Monuments Conservation Center, Hue City People's Committee and businesses will be the "golden triangle" that connects all resources to turn Thuong Thanh heritage into a truly attractive destination.
“In Thuong Thanh overall plan, there are specific plans to re-create historical imprints, and to first embellish landscapes, especially planting more greenery, flowers and vegetables, creating pure "ecological" routes for electric vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians ... These will be typical Hue images and they will serve as a premise for the restoration of specific works. Once this is done, Thuong Thanh will become a living museum, a unique destination that attracts Hue people and attracts visitors when coming to Hue,” said Dr. Hang.
From the perspective of the receiving agency of Zone 1 of Hue Citadel after the clearance, the leader of Hue Monuments Conservation Center affirmed that the Center will organize management and protection plans to avoid encroachment, and at the same time, conduct research, make a conservation plan and promote the value of the entire Hue Citadel as a basis for proposing the implementation of component projects after approval.
However, according to Mr. Vo Le Nhat, Director of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, there will be some difficulties after receiving the ground because many works have been damaged due to people's impacts for many years on the monument. The scale of the project is large, stretching nearly 12km, which means it requires large investments. In addition, materials for restoration are increasingly scarce, such as craft bricks, stones ... while some restored craft industries have not been standardized.
Another difficulty is that the construction data of the wall for research is no longer adequate, mainly based on the status quo and results of surveys and archeological works. Solutions to repair and reinforce must be synchronized, especially with embankments that need to be completely restored. "In the process of restoration, heavily damaged items will be prioritized and next are items that are capable of promoting values, serving tourism, and urban landscape embellishment," Mr. Nhat analyzed.
The problem for Hue Citadel after the clearance is how the heritage will be restored and how the soul of the heritage will be returned to create a unique vitality and attract tourists to bring practical economic efficiency and attach conservation with promoting values.
Answering the question of the effective exploitation plan in the future when the relocation project of the Zone I of Hue city is completed, the head of Hue Monuments Conservation Center said that this is a big and demanding task, requiring specific evaluation studies. Many plans must be developed to create more tourism products. Seminars must be organized to receive the opinions of the management agencies, individual organizations, experts, researchers ... to create a high consensus in selecting feasible options for organizing the implementation.
“In my opinion, no matter which approach is implemented, there must be the participation of the community, calling for investment and cooperation to ensure the effectiveness and to protect the long-term values of heritage,” said Vo Le Nhat.
Content: Phan Thanh
Photo: Phan Thanh-Thanh Toan-Minh Hien
Video: Thanh Toan
Design: Nguyen Quan