Hot topic of relic restoration from the incident of Duom temple

Be careful when restoring cultural heritage.

The story of the temple is depicted in Figure 1. — Tourists visit Duom Temple. Photo: Quang Son

Although the leader of the Thai Nguyen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism explained that before proceeding with the demolition, the agency had conducted a survey to determine the condition of items such as Mau Thuong Ngan Temple, Thuong Temple, Trung Temple, the palace of the princesses, Nieng communal house, bell tower, guest house and public house.

Because these structures have seriously degraded, with subsidence, cracking and leakage, there is a potential risk of collapse.

However, it is not only the new construction that is worth paying attention to but also the restoration process. According to the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage, all restoration and embellishment activities for national relics must be strictly assessed and approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Any changes to the original architecture must be carefully considered to ensure that the historical, artistic and cultural value of the monument is not lost.

So in the case of Duom Temple, did the relevant agencies follow this procedure correctly? If the demolition was carried out without full assessment, then this is clearly a serious problem.

In fact, in recent years, many cases of relic restoration in Vietnam have created controversy, even leading to distortion or loss of the original value of the works.

Some relics after being "restored" have become unfamiliar and no longer retain their inherent ancient beauty.

The cause of this problem comes from many factors, notably the lack of close supervision, the appraisal process not being implemented properly, and especially the lack of understanding in the approach to heritage conservation.

Looking at previous unsuccessful restoration projects, we can see that haste in construction, along with the pursuit of grandeur while forgetting the spiritual nature of the monument, has led to very memorable lessons.

How to do it right?

The story of the temple is depicted in Figure 2. — Some items at Duom Temple were demolished. Photo: Toan Nguyen.

The Duom Temple incident has posed an urgent challenge: how to preserve heritage while protecting the intact value of the relic and meeting the need for repair and reinforcement to ensure sustainability.

One of the most important principles in heritage conservation is "restore to the original state," which means minimizing interventions that could potentially change the original architecture.

Conservation experts always emphasize that replacement should only be applied in cases of force majeure, when reinforcement or restoration options according to the original cannot be implemented.

From the story of Duom Temple, it is easy to see that state management of heritage conservation needs to be implemented more seriously and systematically. First, management agencies need to establish a strict control process, from the survey and restoration planning stage to construction supervision.

Consulting with cultural experts as well as local people should be taken seriously, as they are the ones who are most knowledgeable about the value and significance of the site.

In addition, strict sanctions should be established for violations in the restoration and embellishment work. If we do not have the right methods, the risk of losing the precious historical values left by our ancestors is very high. In fact, many relics after being "dressed up" in an improper way, have fallen into a state of being unable to be restored.

On the contrary, there are still places that are too cautious and mechanical. When they see the roof of a relic is tilted or leaking, instead of temporarily fixing it, they make a petition for repair and wait until it is resolved. This often leads to further damage to the structure. I think this is not the right way to do it. Dealing with relics has never been simple or easy.

However, without a deep understanding of culture and history, as well as close supervision and inspection, it will be difficult to prevent timely encroachments. As a result, many relics may be at risk of "disappearing", which is probably inevitable.

Cultural heritage includes not only physical structures, but more importantly, the spirit and memory of the community. Therefore, the responsibility of management agencies lies not only in the restoration or reconstruction, but also in ensuring that each relic retains its original soul and value in the flow of time.

The national historical site of Duom Temple is located on the slope of an ancient limestone mountain in Dong Dat Commune (Phu Luong District, Thai Nguyen). It is a place to worship the famous general Duong Tu Minh, a talented general under the Ly Dynasty, who had great merit in keeping the northern border of Dai Viet peaceful in the 12th century, nearly 850 years ago. In 1993, the temple was recognized as a national historical site.

Minh Chau