Kien Trung palace to open to visitors during Lunar New Year
Hanoi (VNA) – After five years of restoration and upgrade, Kien Trung Palace in Hue Imperial Citadel (Dai Noi) is set to open its door to visitors during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet holiday).
The palace, built between 1921 and 1923 under the reign of King
Khai Dinh (1885-1925), once served as the living and working space of Bao Dai
(1913-1997), the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945).
It incorporates elements from three distinct architectural styles - traditional
Vietnamese, French, and Italian Renaissance - to embody an era of western
influence in Vietnam.
It is among the five main palaces of the former royal citadel, along with Thai
Hoa, Can Chanh, Can Thanh, and Khon Thai. In 1947, the palace was destroyed by
the war, with only its foundation remaining intact.
Since winning the UNESCO
recognition in 1993, the Complex of Hue Monuments has gone through the state of
emergency to develop stably and sustainably. The Hue
Monuments Conservation Centre has been working on dossiers to restore
the Can Chanh Palace and Dai Cung Mon (Great Palace Gate).
Thua Thien-Hue is
the only province in Vietnam and Southeast Asia to be home to five
UNESCO-recognised cultural heritages. They are the Complex of Hue Monuments
(1993-tangible heritage), nha nhac (royal music) (2003-intangible heritage),
woodblocks of Nguyen Dynasty (2009-documentary heritage), documents of Nguyen
Dynasty (2014-documentary heritage), and royal literature on Hue Royal
Architecture (2016-documentary heritage)./.