VietNamNet Bridge – The remnants of a royal garden of the Nguyen dynasty, located east of the Hue Imperial complex in the central city of Hue, are being excavated.

Reclaiming history: Cơ Hạ Garden was one of five royal gardens inside the inner citadel complex.

Excavation of a 600sq.m area in Co Ha Garden is taking place between July 25, 2016, and January 25, 2017, under the supervision of researcher Phan Thi Thuy Van, an official of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

The garden was one of five royal gardens inside the inner citadel complex; the others include Hau Ho, Truong Ninh Cung, Ngu Vien and Thieu Phuong Vien gardens.

The Co Ha Garden was built in 1837, under the reign of King Minh Mang (1791-1841). It was renovated by kings Thieu Tri (1807-1847) and Tu Duc (1829-1883).

In the early 20th century, due to limited funds for taking care of the garden, the Nguyen dynasty knocked down some of the garden’s main buildings. Since then, the garden had been neglected.

In 2014, the centre renovated three traditional houses among the old buildings in the garden, taking guidance from old photos of the area. The landscape, comprising lakes, plants and flowers, has been revived.

VNS