The north-central province of Thanh Hoa will pump some 22 billionVND (more than 1 million USD) into the restoration of the Ho DynastyCitadel and an upgrade of tourism infrastructure at the site, aprovincial official has said.
Deputy chairman of ThanhHoa People's Committee Vuong Van Viet said the projects will start soonand be completed by the middle of next year, when the citadel receivesan official certificate marking its World Cultural Heritage status.
The 14th-century Ho Dynasty Citadel, located in Vinh Loc district,about 150km south of Hanoi , was recognised by the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in June thisyear.
Most of the funding for the projects will come fromthe State budget while the private sector is also being encouraged tojoin hands, said Viet.
The biggest project, costing about10 billion VND (457,000 USD), is to preserve the Nam Giao prayingplatform in the old citadel, he said.
The site's officialweb link http://thanhnhaho.vn will also be updated to provide a betterunderstanding about Vietnam 's capital under the Ho Dynasty from 1400to 1407.
The heritage conservation centre will seek helpfrom scientists to excavate a quarry on An Ton Mountain, where stone istaken to build the citadel, and surrounding relics.
Stretches of national roads 45 and 217 connecting the site to theprovincial centre will be repaired and upgraded while more long-distancebus routes will be opened to serve the increasing number of tourists.
More tours to the citadel will be organised soon, said Viet.
The number of tourists to the site has risen by three times since itwas recognised by UNESCO, but the figure remains very low, according tothe director of the Ho Dynasty Citadel management board, Do Quang Trong.
It now attracts about 4,000 tourists a month, with international guests accounting for roughly only 1 percent.
"Thanh Hoa has plans in place to invest in the Ho Dynasty Citadel tomake it an attractive destination for domestic and internationaltourists," said Viet.
Known as Tay Do (Western Capital) todistinguish it from Dong Do (Eastern Capital or Thang Long - Hanoi), the citadel, covering an area of about 150ha, was built in 1397.
The construction of the citadel was supervised by a top Tran Dynastymandarin, Ho Quy Ly, who later took the throne in 1400 and moved thecapital from Thang Long to the citadel.
Also called TayGiai Castle , the citadel has four arched gates facing north,south, east and west. While most of the castle has been ruined, thegates have survived the passage of time.
The castle wasbuilt from huge stone blocks, each of which is 2×1×0.7m in size onaverage, without any glue or adhesive material.
Accordingto the UNESCO, the citadel buildings "represent an outstanding exampleof a new style of Southeast Asian imperial city".
Apartfrom the Ho Dynasty Citadel, Vietnam has six other natural and culturalheritages recognised by UNESCO: the imperial capital of Hue, Ha LongBay, Hoi An Old Quarter, the My Son Sanctuary, the Phong Nha-Ke BangNational Park and the Thang Long royal citadel relic site./.
Deputy chairman of ThanhHoa People's Committee Vuong Van Viet said the projects will start soonand be completed by the middle of next year, when the citadel receivesan official certificate marking its World Cultural Heritage status.
The 14th-century Ho Dynasty Citadel, located in Vinh Loc district,about 150km south of Hanoi , was recognised by the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in June thisyear.
Most of the funding for the projects will come fromthe State budget while the private sector is also being encouraged tojoin hands, said Viet.
The biggest project, costing about10 billion VND (457,000 USD), is to preserve the Nam Giao prayingplatform in the old citadel, he said.
The site's officialweb link http://thanhnhaho.vn will also be updated to provide a betterunderstanding about Vietnam 's capital under the Ho Dynasty from 1400to 1407.
The heritage conservation centre will seek helpfrom scientists to excavate a quarry on An Ton Mountain, where stone istaken to build the citadel, and surrounding relics.
Stretches of national roads 45 and 217 connecting the site to theprovincial centre will be repaired and upgraded while more long-distancebus routes will be opened to serve the increasing number of tourists.
More tours to the citadel will be organised soon, said Viet.
The number of tourists to the site has risen by three times since itwas recognised by UNESCO, but the figure remains very low, according tothe director of the Ho Dynasty Citadel management board, Do Quang Trong.
It now attracts about 4,000 tourists a month, with international guests accounting for roughly only 1 percent.
"Thanh Hoa has plans in place to invest in the Ho Dynasty Citadel tomake it an attractive destination for domestic and internationaltourists," said Viet.
Known as Tay Do (Western Capital) todistinguish it from Dong Do (Eastern Capital or Thang Long - Hanoi), the citadel, covering an area of about 150ha, was built in 1397.
The construction of the citadel was supervised by a top Tran Dynastymandarin, Ho Quy Ly, who later took the throne in 1400 and moved thecapital from Thang Long to the citadel.
Also called TayGiai Castle , the citadel has four arched gates facing north,south, east and west. While most of the castle has been ruined, thegates have survived the passage of time.
The castle wasbuilt from huge stone blocks, each of which is 2×1×0.7m in size onaverage, without any glue or adhesive material.
Accordingto the UNESCO, the citadel buildings "represent an outstanding exampleof a new style of Southeast Asian imperial city".
Apartfrom the Ho Dynasty Citadel, Vietnam has six other natural and culturalheritages recognised by UNESCO: the imperial capital of Hue, Ha LongBay, Hoi An Old Quarter, the My Son Sanctuary, the Phong Nha-Ke BangNational Park and the Thang Long royal citadel relic site./.
