The 1,000 year-old Bình Thạnh Ancient Tower in Tây Ninh Province’s Trảng Bàng District will be renovated and opened to tourists. VNA/VNS Photo Lê Đức Hoảnh

TÂY NINH The southern province of Tây Ninh plans to renovate 22 historic relic sites at a total cost of more than VNĐ440 billion (nearly US$19 million) this year in an aim to attract more tourists.

The plan has been approved by the provincial People’s Committee for the 2019-2020 period, with an orientation to 2025.  Funds will come from the provincial budget and private sources.

Among the historic sites to be renovated are the special national relic site of the Central Bureau of southern Việt Nam's Party Commitee, Bàu Rong Military Base, Trảng Bàng Revolutionary Youth Base, An Thới guerrilla warfare tunnel, Rạch Tràm relic site, Bình Thạnh Ancient Tower, Hiệp Ninh Communal House, and the temple and tomb of Huỳnh Công Thắng.

Nguyễn Hồng Thanh, director of the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the plan would restore and embellish historic relic sites to preserve and protect them.

“This contributes to educating the youth of today about traditional culture, patriotism and revolutionary traditions,” he said.

After the upgrade, the province will open them to the public as tourism destinations.

In the 2021-25 period, the province will continue to renovate 25 more historic relic sites, including the first base of Tây Ninh Province’s Communist Party in Giồng Nần Hamlet in Châu Thành District’s Long Vĩnh Commune, the memorial site dedicated to war martyr Dương Minh Châu, Lợi Thuận guerrilla warfare tunnel, and Rừng Nhum Base, among others.

There are 90 relic sites in the province, including one special national relic site, 25 national-level relics and 64 provincial-level relics.

Huge investments have been made in similar projects that combine relic site preservation with tourism development, such as Bà Đen Mountain Historical, Cultural and Tourism Relic Site, Junction City military campaign relic site, Hiệp Ninh and Thái Bình communal houses, and Lợi Thuận war tunnel. VNS