Announcement of archaeological excavation results of Can Chanh Palace foundation

Scientists discuss research results on Can Chanh Palace foundation

On August 23, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center coordinated with the National Museum of History to announce the results of the archaeological excavation of Can Chanh Palace after more than 1 month of implementation.

At the scene, representatives of the Vietnam National Museum of History introduced the initial research results in the exploratory pits on an area of ​​about 200 square meters, thereby showing the changes in the foundation structure of Can Chanh Palace from its construction during the reign of King Gia Long to later restorations.

The initial assessment of archaeologists is that Can Chanh Palace was built on a weak geological foundation, possibly formerly a pond or swamp. Therefore, the foundation of the palace has been reinforced through renovations.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chat, Deputy Head of the Collection Research Department, Vietnam National Museum of History, said that from its construction in 1804 under King Gia Long until its destruction in 1947, Can Chanh Palace had undergone 11 renovations at different levels. Archaeological work helped determine the original elements of the foundation of the building and the stages of stratigraphic change.

Some opinions say that the process of restoring Can Chanh Palace must conduct geological exploration drilling to design and build the foundation to ensure the sustainability of the project and the stage of choosing to restore the palace should be chosen during the reign of King Khai Dinh because at that time Can Chanh Palace was one of the typical beautiful architectural works of the Nguyen Dynasty.

According to Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center Hoang Viet Trung, conducting archaeology is a mandatory task in the process of relic restoration.

Can Chanh Palace was built 220 years ago and has undergone many restorations. The results of this excavation provide a lot of scientific data to supplement the research dossier of the project to restore this important palace.

The research process on Can Chanh Palace has gone through more than 25 years, including the participation of experts from Waseda University (Japan), with many valuable documents and images being collected.

The Hue Monuments Conservation Center will strive to complete the procedures to start the project to restore Can Chanh Palace in 2024.

Can Chanh Palace was built in 1804 under King Gia Long, located behind Thai Hoa Palace on Dung Dao axis of Hue Imperial City, and was the place where the Nguyen Dynasty kings held court and worked regularly.

By February 1947, the palace was completely destroyed, leaving only the foundation. In 2021, the People's Council of Thua Thien-Hue Province approved the Project to restore, renovate and embellish the Can Chanh Palace Relic, with a total estimated investment of about 200 billion VND, from the provincial budget.

According to Vietnam+