Last Vietnamese king’s palace to be rebuilt at $5.3 mln

By Nguyen Quy   February 19, 2019 | 12:19 am PT
Last Vietnamese king’s palace to be rebuilt at $5.3 mln
A perspective of Kien Trung Palace in the ancient Imperial Citadel in Hue. Photo courtesy of Hue Monuments Conservation Center
Authorities in Thua Thien-Hue Province have begun an ambitious project to rebuild a destroyed palace inside the Imperial Citadel in Hue.

Kien Trung Palace, built between 1921 and 1923 during the reign of Emperor Khai Dinh, once served as the living and working space of Bao Dai, the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty, which ruled the country from 1802 until the end of the feudal era in 1945.

It incorporated elements from three distinct architectural styles -- traditional Vietnamese, French and Italian Renaissance -- to embody an era of western influence in Vietnam.

But it was destroyed in the late 1940s during the first Indochina War (1946-1954), with only its foundation remaining intact.

According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, the work is expected to cost VND123 billion ($5.3 million) and be finished in 2022.

The reconstruction reflects local authorities’ continued efforts to conserve the Imperial Citadel, a popular tourist attraction in central Vietnam, as part of efforts to boost tourism.

Thue Thien-Hue Province received more than 4.3 million visitors last year, an increase of 14 percent over the same period in 2017. The number included 2.2 million foreigners.

 
 
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