The front gate of the Trai Cung area within the Nam Giao Esplanade relic site in Huế City. — VNA/VNS Photos

HUẾ — The central city of Huế is accelerating the restoration of major heritage sites dating back to the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945), with several projects expected to finish ahead of schedule.

In late 2024, the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre launched a project to conserve and restore the Nam Giao Esplanade at a cost of more than VNĐ40 billion (US$1.55 million).

Phùng Văn Hoàng, director of the Huế Monuments Project Management Board under the centre, said the work was expected to be completed in late October or early November 2026, about seven months ahead of schedule.

Built in 1806 under King Gia Long south of the Huế Citadel, the esplanade was where Nguyễn Dynasty emperors performed rituals to Heaven. It is the only remaining altar to Heaven in Việt Nam that remains relatively intact.

Restoration work is also being accelerated at Cần Chánh Palace and Thái Miếu (the Nguyễn Dynasty ancestral temple) inside the Huế Imperial Citadel.

Visitors tour the Nam Giao Esplanade relic site in Huế city.

Cần Chánh Palace, built in 1804 under King Gia Long, hosted royal audiences, receptions for foreign diplomatic missions and court banquets. Destroyed in 1947, it now retains only its foundations.

A VNĐ200-billion restoration project launched in 2025 is scheduled to run until 2029. However, work is expected to finish in November 2027, well ahead of the original April 2029 deadline.

Meanwhile, the first phase of a VNĐ52-billion project to conserve and restore the Thái Miếu relic site began in October 2024 and was initially scheduled for completion in 2028. It covers the restoration of gates, walls, foundations and other structures within the complex.

The Huế Monuments Project Management Board said these works were expected to be completed by late December 2026, about 20 months ahead of schedule.

Construction on the main Thái Miếu structure is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027, with an investment of more than VNĐ220 billion and completion targeted for 2031.

Located in the southeastern corner of the Huế Imperial Citadel, Thái Miếu was built in 1804 under King Gia Long for important royal ceremonies. It was destroyed in 1947, leaving some foundations and auxiliary structures.

Huế has invested nearly VNĐ4.8 trillion in restoring and embellishing more than 200 heritage structures, most of them within the Complex of Huế Monuments.

During 2026-30, the city plans to implement 27 projects to rehabilitate, restore and renovate heritage sites, with total investment estimated at more than VNĐ1.59 trillion. — VNA/VNS