On June 17, leaders of the Hue Ancient Citadel Relic Preservation Center said that the sanitation, maintenance and repair of faded items at Ngu Phung Pavilion (Ngo Mon) have been basically completed, contributing to restoring a spacious appearance to one of the unique architectural symbols of the Hue Ancient Citadel Relic Complex.
According to the Hue Ancient Capital Relic Preservation Center, after being affected by harsh weather with hot sun, heavy rain and high humidity, some items of Ngu Phung Pavilion have appeared with faded color, peeling paint, mainly concentrated in the pillars outside the building. Through inspection, 52 pillars need to be cleaned, treated and maintained to ensure aesthetics as well as preserve the historical and architectural value of the relic.
The maintenance unit has fully implemented technical procedures in conservation work such as surface cleaning, handling damaged locations, and completing the paint coating to suit the original state of the project. The restoration process is carried out carefully, strictly complying with heritage conservation principles to preserve the original nature and inherent beauty of Ngu Phung Pavilion.
To avoid affecting the sightseeing activities of tourists, most items are constructed at night or outside the opening hours to welcome guests. Thanks to that, Hue Citadel still maintains normal visitor reception activities, while ensuring the progress of relic care and preservation.
According to the leader of the Hue Ancient Citadel Relic Preservation Center, in the restoration period lasting from 2012 to 2019 (the most recent restoration), Ngo Mon was comprehensively restored, including many important items such as: Repairing the foundation of the tower and Ngu Phung Pavilion (reinforcing the foundation, cleaning the tower body, repairing railings, brick floors as well as repairing the arch system below the tower body).
At the same time, restoring the roof decoration and treating preservation and termite protection for the project; painting all wooden components of Lau Ngu Phung (two main floors and Ta, Huu Duc Lau) using traditional painting techniques; interior lighting and fire protection systems according to modern techniques.
At that time, the restoration of Ngo Mon was divided into two phases 2012 - 2015 and 2016 - 2019 with an investment capital of more than 80 billion VND. In which, phase 2, the project was invested with a budget of about 44 billion VND. However, after only 4 years of operation and use, Ngu Phung Pavilion has clearly "degraded".
Previously, Lao Dong Newspaper reflected the situation that some items at Ngu Phung Pavilion showed signs of discoloration, wooden columns appeared black spots, faded color, peeling paint; many ironwood components such as doors, ceilings, splints, railings and decorative details also appeared patchy after a period of use.
