Thua Thien-Hue province needs to create an overall management plan for the Hue imperial relic complex that is in line with the local planning, ensuring harmony between development and preservation, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said.

The Deputy PM made the statement while addressing a ceremony on September 22 in the central province to mark the 20th anniversary of the relic complex’s UNESCO recognition as world cultural heritage and the 10th anniversary of an intangible cultural heritage honour being bestowed on Hue Royal court music.

Deputy PM Phuc said that despite many difficulties and challenges the Vietnamese Party and State always seek to preserve and uphold the value of world heritage in the country.

Since the honour from UNESCO, the Hue imperial relic complex has been carefully preserved to protect invaluable heritage for future generations to enjoy, while also attracting more tourists, he added.

Praising the achievements made in preservation work, UNESCO’s Chief Representative in Vietnam Katherine Muller-Marin asked local authorities to manage them even more effectively to negate the negative impacts caused by both humans and nature.

According to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Cao, since 1996 almost 800 billion VND (37.6 million USD) has been spent on restoring nearly 100 works.

In 1993, the complex received only around 200,000 visitors per year, gaining four billion VND (188,000 USD). Twenty years later, over two million tourists come to Hue each year, raking in more than 100 billion VND (4.7 million USD) for the local tourism sector.-VNA