22 November 2007 (Vietnam Net Bridge) – The Hue Temple museum, used to house the antiquities from imperial-era Vietnam, will undergo a restoration during the next two years.
Hue Temple museum gets a makeover
Long An Temple, considered to be one of the finest wooden structures of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), will undergo restoration over the next two years.
The Hue Temple is being used as a museum for royal antiquities.
An investment of 13.5 billion VND (840,000 USD), from State coffers will be earmarked for preservation work in early 2008, said Phan Thanh Hai of the Hue Centre for Monument Conservation, which will over-see the project.
The temple was built in 1845 as the Bao Dinh Palace by then-emperor Thieu Tri in the area now known as Tay Loc Ward in Hue’s royal citadel.
Since 1885, when the royal citadel was lost to the French, the palace has been unoccupied.
In 1908, the wooden structure was moved to its present location at 3 Le Truc Street, some 3km from the previous location.
It was turned into the Long An Temple and used as a library for the imperial training school for mandarins of the Nguyen dynasty.
In 1925, emperor Khai Dinh signed a decree to use it for the display of imperial antiques, renaming it the Khai Dinh Museum.
The building was renamed the Hue Royal Citadel Antique Museum after the liberation of the south in 1975.
Related Books: – Extraordinary Museums of Southeast Asia by K. Kelly
– Museum Treasures of Southeast Asia by B. Campell
– Museums Of Southeast Asia by I. Lenzi
Find more books on Southeast Asian archaeology at the SEAArch Bookstore.
