The Treasure House, or Phu Noi Vu, one of the royal monuments inside Hue's Forbidden City, will be opened to tourists after conservation and renovation work, said the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

Covering an area of 2ha in the north of Forbidden City between the Ancestral Temple and Royal Theatre, the monument is a workshop-cum-store where court treasures and royal objects were made and kept for the kings' use.

The structure, built in the first half of the 19th century under the reign of King Minh Mang, housed the Hue University's College of Arts following the demise of feudalism. The college was recently relocated.

The monument's original architecture will be conserved and adapted for tourist purposes with a total investment of 65.4 billion VND (3.2 million USD), said Phung Phu, director of the conservation centre.

The monument will become one of the attractions in the Forbidden City that will target upmarket tourists, showcasing the royals' objects of daily use and serving royal cuisine.

Replicas of some objects will also be available for sale, Phu said.

The conservation and usage plan for the monument was approved by the Centre's Scientific Council following three sessions of discussions, he said, adding that foreign investors would be invited to participate in the conservation of the monument./.