The projects are part of a programme by the German Foreign Ministry to preserve Vietnam’s cultures, including the conservation and restoration of the An Dinh Palace, King Tu Duc’s Tomb in the imperial ancient city of Hue, the Tran Dang communal house in Hanoi and the tower at Canh Tien in the central province of Binh Dinh.

The An Dinh Palace was the first site that the German restorers (the Germany Conservation Restoration and Education Project - GCREP) developed an on the job training/certification scheme for restorers. The 290,000 EUR project was carried out in several phases from 2003–2008 by two German not-for-profit organisations, said Andrea Teufel, the project’s director and head of the restoration team.

The conservation and restoration at the An Dinh Palace was conducted strictly to UNESCO standards and mainly focused on wall and ceiling paintings.

The project also ran a training course for 15 Vietnamese trainees.

Another project in Hue City was the restoration of the gate and panels of King Tu Duc’s tomb at a cost of EUR 110,000. This project also included training for Vietnamese workers.

The 700-year-old communal house in the ancient village of Tran Dang in suburban Hanoi was restored and preserved by the GCREP and Vietnamese architect Ly Truc Dung. The restoration process received 90,000 EUR in funding from Germany.

The fourth project is the restoration of the tower at Canh Tien in Binh Dinh which dates back to the XII century.

Dang Huu Tho, the Director of the provincial Conservation Centre, said Canh Tien, which is located in Do Ban citadel, is an outstanding example of Binh Dinh Cham architecture and attracts many tourists.

The project, which costs a total of 8 billion VND, is scheduled to be competed by December this year. Germany provided financial assistance to the tune of VND 2 billion (EUR 100,000), added Tho.