$2.2Mln Planned to Restore Hue Imperial City in 2005

$2.2Mln Planned to Restore Hue Imperial City in 2005

Central Thua Thien Hue province plans to invest VND35 billion ($2.2 million) in restoring the Hue Imperial City, one of five UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site in Vietnam, this year.

Of the total, VND15 billion ($950,000) will come from State coffer, VND16 billion ($1.01 million) from local ticket sales and the remainder from international donors.

Constructions in the 2005 restoration list include Thien Mu pagoda, Ancestor Temple, Gia Long King mausoleum, Ngoc Dich lake, An Dinh and Truong Sanh isolated palace, Thanh Binh tower, the Royal Palace and others.

The move is part of a preparation scheme for the biannual Hue Festival 2006, one of the key festivals in Vietnam attracting several thousand Vietnamese and foreign visitors.

Last year, the Government approved a plan to invest VND550 billion ($34.8 million) in infrastructure construction for local tourism development.

According to local statistics, Hue received more than 215,000 tourists in the first four months of this year, up 25% on-year including 73,000 international arrivals, up 17%, and earning revenue of VND89 billion from tourism, up 28%.

Occupancy rates during the time reached 78% with several high-end hotels reporting full occupation.

Hue, located 600 km south from Hanoi and capital of the last Vietnamese feudal regime, derives from the quiet Song Huong (Perfume River) weaving its course between rolling hills housing the temples and tombs of the Nguyen Kings.

Hue is one of the three biggest tourist centers in Vietnam. Its attraction lies first of all in the many temples, palaces and mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty built between 1805 and 1832. The old citadel measures 11 kilometers in circumference with a 21-meter thick wall and a flagpole standing 54.4 meters high.

Investment on infrastructure will increase from VND4.2 billion in 1991 to VND10.5 billion this year. With its present capacity, Hue can receive at any one time 1,100 guests at both state-owned hotels, which have more than 500 rooms, and private mini-hotels and homes.

• T.V