According to the report of the My Son Heritage Management Board (Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province), recently, ASI expert groups have come to My Son to survey, prepare project documents, and collect necessary data to plan the restoration and conservation of tower groups E, F and A' in the following years.
Representatives of Quang Nam province's leaders and Indian experts conducted a field survey at My Son.
Preliminary conclusions drawn from the survey are that most of the monuments (except tower E7 which was restored by the Institute for Monument Conservation in 2011 - 2013), the remaining structures in E, F and A' are in a state of severe damage.
Specific situation: Tower E area includes 8 architectural works E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, including:
Tower E1, dating from the 8th century, is the earliest surviving relic, the main tower of area E, and is now quite damaged. The highest point of the southwest corner wall is 2.5m high, the upper and outer surfaces are heavily damaged, there is a round stone pillar and round pillar base in the west lobby, this structure has no traces of restoration or reinforcement.
Tower E2 is a nearly square gate tower, quite severely damaged, the remaining part is 2.2m high, the existing architectural components are cracked in many ways. Two stone pillars of the West gate, two stone pillars of the East gate are separated from the architecture on both sides. The tower's surrounding ground has been excavated, there are no traces of restoration or reinforcement.
Tower E3 is now collapsed, only a 4m high wall on the North side remains, the brick wall surface is no longer connected, there are many cracks in some places that are at risk of shifting away from the architectural block at any time.
Tower E4 is a collapsed main temple, the buried bricks gently slope like a small hill, only a part of the northern wall about 10m high is visible.
Tower E5 is almost in ruins, the collapsed wall is only 1.2m high, there are many cracks, some bricks are at risk of separating from the current architectural block.
Tower E6 only has one corner of the Northeast wall 4m high, the South and West walls are more than 1m high, thin, the core of the wall has sunk lower than the two surface shells of the wall, the risk of displacement is very high. There are traces of crack reinforcement in the corner of the South wall.
Tower E7 was recently renovated from 2011-2013, the architectural structure is quite sturdy.
Tower E8 collapsed almost completely, only the northern wall 2.8m high - 4m long remains, with many deep cracks, high risk of collapse.
Area F includes 3 buildings F1, F2 and F3. Of which, tower F3 has completely disappeared due to bombs, its location is only known through the diagram.
Tower F1 is the main temple of area F, dating back to the 8th-9th century, excavated in 2003, still in a state of being covered by a house, the wall surface has many cracks, at high risk of collapse, has been supported by iron bars, some small detailed corner edges are at risk of being peeled off from the larger block.
Tower F2 is the gate tower that has collapsed, only the southern and northern walls are still leaning, with some deep cracks, supported by iron bars.
In October 2014, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Republic of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Restoration of the World Cultural Heritage of My Son Sanctuary.
During the 2016-2022 period, ASI experts directly participated with Vietnamese representatives to complete the restoration and reinforcement of tower groups K, H, and A.
In which, tower A1 is a My Son masterpiece (24 meters high) reinforced, anti-degradation and restored tower walls, the architectural work is stable and sustainable, returning to its original appearance.
During the implementation of the restoration project of towers K, H, A, 734 valuable artifacts were discovered, of which the My Son A10 altar artifact was recognized by Vietnam as a national treasure in 2022.
In particular, the discovery of the ancient road starting from tower K leading to the central area of My Son Sanctuary in the 12th century, which is known to domestic and international archaeological and historical researchers for the first time, has long-term research and development value.
Local workers join Indian and Vietnamese experts in conserving Tower Group A in 2022
In August 2024, the Letter of Intent between the two Governments on the restoration and conservation of the F tower group at My Son was signed.
Accordingly, the project to preserve and restore tower groups E and F will be implemented with the support of ASI experts and Vietnamese professional agencies and experts.
Indian experts survey Cham towers in Quang Nam and My Son in April 2023
Through surveying the current status of the E and F temple tower groups, experts oriented the restoration of the relics with the main method of reinforcing and preserving the original elements firmly, ensuring accuracy.
Regarding the implementation solution, it still adheres to the application of archaeological restoration methods and the latest advanced scientific and technological means in accordance with current international standards. It is expected to complete the restoration of groups E and F within 5 years (2025 - 2029).
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