A ceremony marking 30 years in operation of the Hue Relic Conservation Centre (1982-2012) was held on June 9 in the central Thua Thien-Hue province.

Speaking at the ceremony, UNESCO’s representative in Vietnam Katherine Muller-Marin applauded the achievements that the centre has gained in preserving the relic system of the ancient capital of Hue which was once seriously damaged by wars and natural disasters.

She spoke highly of the centre’s development of local human resources for preservation work.

Katherine Muller-Marin also called on organisations inside and outside the country to continue supporting the centre in the cause of protecting the world cultural heritage site.

Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Relic Conservation Centre said the centre has cooperated with many international organisations in all over the world including the UNESCO and various agencies from Japan , Canada , France , England , the US , Germany , Thailand , Belgium , the RoK and Holland in restoring, preserving the site as well as training personnel for the centre.

The Hue Relic System was recognised by the UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site in 1993. The “Nha nhac cung dinh Hue ” (Hue Royal Court Music) was also recognised as intangible cultural heritage of human kind in 2003.

Along with the preservation of the relics, traditional arts and handicrafts have been revived, assisting the tourism sector and making it a key economic sector of the province.

Total earnings from tourism and services of the province between 1996 and 2011 reached 724.5 billion VND, a major part of which was re-invested in the restoring and preserving activities.-VNA