Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – As many as 1.2 million domestic touristsand 1.5 million foreigners visited Hue imperial relic site in the centralprovince of Thua Thien-Hue in the first eight months of 2018, according to theHue Monument Conservation Centre.

During the three-day National Day holidays alone, the site welcomed over71,000 visitors, including 10,000 foreign arrivals.

Director ofthe Hue Monument Conservation Centre Phan Thanh Hai said the “one destination, fiveheritages” tour mostly contributed to attracting visitors to the site.

Recently, the illumination of “Ky dai Hue” (Hue flag tower) with 1,000LED bulbs in connection with relic sites such as Nghinh Luong Dinh, Phu Van Lau,and Ngo Mon (South Gate), has created a highlight for the ancient city,especially at night.

The Hue flag tower has becomes a symbol of heritage, attracting a large numberof domestic and international tourists.

In the future, the centre will continue to exploit the tour to Dai Noi (RoyalPalace) at night that connects the Hue flag tower and the Royal Palace, as wellas expand service activities for visitors, towards creating unique products tolure more visitors to Hue.

Hai said thenumber of tourists to Hue has continuously increased, with the average rate of15-18 percent per year. The site is expected to serve about 3.3 millionholidaymakers in 2018.

Notably,about 170 monuments in the heritage area have been invested for restoration andconservation, typically Ngo Mon, Thai Hoa Palace, Hien Lam Cac, The Mieu relicsystem, Dien Tho Palace, and Duyet Thi Duong. Many works in Gia Long, DongKhanh, Trieu Thi, and Tu Duc tombs have been restored.

Investment has also upgraded the relic site’s infrastructure, including theroads, lighting system, fire prevention system, and lightning protection.

The restoration of the Hue heritage site has been not only revived culturalheritage values, but also helped Hue develop into a must-see destination spot inVietnam.–VNA