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| The quality of the walls remains good |
With a total investment of more than 99 billion VND, the project will be carried out until 2027. The renovation items focus on reinforcing the foundation, restoring the wooden frames, tiled roofs, furniture and sophisticated decorative details to restore the inherent beauty, recreate the ancient architectural space and preserve traditional cultural values.
At Tu Duc Mausoleum, despite the project items under construction, the monument draws many tourists. Dozens of workers and craftsmen are urgently installing the wooden frame system of Minh Khiem Duong. Right on the foundation of the building, rows of wooden pillars have been marked and arranged in position, ready for installation.
Mr. Dang Hung Son, Supervisor of the Hue Monuments Project Management Board under the HMCC, said that the construction contractor is making a bid to install the wooden frame system of Minh Khiem Duong, and then start to restore the wooden frame system of Hoa Khiem Dien, striving to finalize the installation by the end of 2024.
Previously, after dismantling the 3 structures of Hoa Khiem Dien, Minh Khiem Duong, and On Khiem Duong, all wooden components were brought into the shelter for preservation. Closely following the workers at the construction site, Mr. Nguyen An, head of the Tu Duc Mausoleum project under the Hue Monuments Restoration Joint Stock Company, said that through inspection and assessment, the roof tiles, and roof ridges had been mostly damaged. It was estimated that only about 50% of the wooden components could be reused, with the remaining majority heavily damaged by termites. However, the walls of the three palaces and the building foundations remain in good condition, requiring only crack repairs and restoration of the walls in their current state."
According to Mr. An, the original elements of the monument will be preserved during the construction process of the items. The foundation of the structure was previously constructed in a rudimentary way; its structure is now recalculated to ensure subsidence and safety. "Tu Duc Mausoleum is a wooden structure, requiring highly skilled artisans to ensure both quality and aesthetics during construction," Mr. An shared. "This effort contributes to preserving the heritage passed down by our ancestors."
The Tu Duc Mausoleum - Khiem Lang, located at the foot of Vong Canh Hill in Thuy Xuan Ward, Hue City, is known as one of the most typical mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty, representative of Hue's traditional landscape architecture. The mausoleum, built in 1864, covers an area of about 12 hectares, surrounded by a 1,500m-long mountain stone rampart.
The entire mausoleum has about 50 large and small architectural structures. After nearly 200 years of existence, some of the work items in Tu Duc Mausoleum have seriously degraded. In 2015, 6 structure items here, namely Luong Khiem Dien (Palace for royal rituals), Chi Khiem Duong (Pavilion for ceremonies), Le Khiem Vu (Space for worship and ceremonies) Phap Khiem Vu (Pavilion for Buddhist rituals) Tieu Khiem Tri (Small lake within the mausoleum complex ) and Luu Khiem Lake (Large lake in the mausoleum area) were restored and preserved at a total cost of more than 100 billion VND.
In April 2024, the project "Preservation, renovation, and restoration of the Tu Duc Mausoleum" (the rest) was started. The Dien Hoa Khiem project will renovate and restore the tiled floor, wooden frame system, roof system, wall panels, doors, transom, and wooden floors; restore the roof covered with Hoang Luu Ly yin-yang tiles, ridges, top edges and figurines; restore the altar, worship cabinets and furniture.
At Minh Khiem Duong, the project will renovate, reinforce, and adjust the foundation, restore the Bat Trang tiled floor in line with the status quo; renovate and restore the wooden frame system, roof system, doors; restore the roof covered with blue enamel tiles, roof ridges, and edges with glazed tiles. The project also renovates and restores the furniture for display and space reproduction; and embellishes the electrical system, lighting, and artistic lighting for traditional music performances.
The project also renovates and restores the On Khiem Duong (Pavilion for scholarly activities or leisure) structure in the items of foundation, walls, wooden frame system, doors, roof system; restores furniture for display and recreates space, etc. Additionally, the rampart, Vu Khiem Gate (Gate to the inner sanctum), and screen are also renovated, reinforced, and restored. Concurrently, the technical infrastructure system is equipped at the monument sites and connection spaces.
Director of HMCC Hoang Viet Trung said that the construction process is carefully carried out to ensure that the original materials are not damaged. Additionally, if there appear new sources of documents, the scientific council will analyze and evaluate them. "Recently, through the auctioned photographs acquired by the individuals who love Hue heritage, it was discovered that the structure at Tu Duc Mausoleum originally had a curved roof, but in reality there is none. The scientific council agreed to report to the competent authorities, the Department of Heritage for adjustment and supplementation. With the above important items restored, the project, once finalized, will contribute to preserving, conserving, and promoting the value of the Complex of Hue Monuments - a World Cultural Heritage," Mr. Trung stated.