Tang Tho Lau, a document storage centre that dates back to Nguyen Dynasty (1802–1945) has been restored and opened to public. Photo vov.vn

The centre, Tang Tho Lau, was built in 1825 under Emperor Minh Mang (1820-1841) by 1,000 soldiers.

Its overall architecture was designed to store and preserve important books, documents and papers of the court. The building is located on a rectangular island in the middle of Hoc Hai Lake, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge built of bricks and stones on the west bank.

Tàng Thơ Lâu is a massive two-storey building consisting of many small spaces connected to each other and with many windows. It was built of bricks and stone, in addition to plastering and terracotta roofing.

According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, the centre had become seriously damaged and degraded over time and had lost its original function to be used for other purposes. Meanwhile, the documents that were stored there had been moved to other places both within Vietnam and even abroad.

After Tang Tho Lau was handed over to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, restoration work started in 2014. Today, the building preserves texts, video and images on various topics.

Visitors view a document of the Nguyen Dynasty being exhibited at Tang Tho Lau Centre.

According to the director of Hue Monuments Conservation Centre Vo Le Nhat, Tang Tho Lau is aimed at not only storing documents and researching the cultural heritage of the ancient capital but also connecting the values of the past with contemporary life

It is also expected to become a unique cultural and tourist destination, attracting both researchers and tourists to visit Hue City.

VNS

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