In conjunction with local projects, the Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery National Special Monument (Binh Dinh Bac commune, Thang Binh district) will undergo conservation and reinforcement plans implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India after receiving permission from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
In accordance with the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Vietnam and India in 2014, a team of experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has visited Quang Nam several times after completing the restoration of tower groups A, H, and K at My Son (Duy Xuyen) to continue research and develop plans for the preservation of tower groups E and F at My Son and the Dong Duong tower group (Thang Binh).
12 billion VND spent on reinforcing Dong Duong.
At the end of December 2023, the investment plan for the project to restore, reinforce, rehabilitate, and promote the value of the Sáng Tower, part of the Đồng Dương Buddhist Monastery National Special Monument, was approved with a budget of 12 billion VND from the provincial budget.
According to Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet, Deputy Director of the My Son Heritage Management Board, My Son received conservation management for the A, K, and H tower groups from India from 2016 to 2022.
To date, the temple complexes have been effectively preserved and promoted, attracting a considerable number of visitors.
In 2023, based on a survey by ASI, it was determined that the E tower group needed preservation. A team of experts then developed a project to restore the E tower group and create a landscape in areas E and F.
Experts are considering reinforcing the stream banks in areas E and F to prevent future erosion, and have also proposed that My Son include tower A' in the next restoration project.
The project will involve surveying and assessing the current state of the area around the base of the tower, as well as excavating, conducting archaeological research, and implementing conservation interventions.
From repairing and restoring structural details to dismantling the supporting steel frame, protecting the structure from termites, preserving and reinforcing the brick surface, and dealing with invasive weeds on the original brick walls... all these tasks will be carried out from now until the end of 2025.
The Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery was established and developed around the 9th-11th centuries. In the early 20th century, archaeological excavations by French scholars uncovered a large and unique complex of Buddhist architecture, considered one of the finest in Southeast Asia. In 2016, the Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery site was classified as a special national historical site by the Prime Minister .
Furthermore, many related artifacts from the Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery have been recognized as national treasures. This affirms the historical, cultural, and artistic value of this site within the nation's historical context.
However, despite excavations and research by French scholars in the early 20th century, there has yet to be a truly comprehensive, large-scale, and holistic study of the Dong Duong Buddhist monastery site.
Systematizing documentation and comprehensively assessing the overall value of historical sites provides a scientific basis for guiding and proposing appropriate solutions for conservation and value promotion.
Previously, Quang Nam province had invested in excavating several areas and carried out a second emergency reinforcement of the Sang Tower gate. At the same time, the province assigned relevant agencies to develop a plan for archaeological planning, preservation, and restoration of the relic.
Collecting and systematizing documents related to historical sites helps to carry out restoration and preservation work with more scientific evidence, while also serving research and management needs.
Conservation project from India
Mr. Er. Bhima Azmira - Director of Conservation at ASI, believes that Dong Duong needs to be preserved and restored because of the unique cultural values that the site possesses.
“Along with cleaning the site, we realized the need to define its boundaries. During our surveys, we found that vegetation covered large areas, and some parts were encroached upon by residential buildings, roads, and the daily activities of the local people,” said Er. Bhima Azmira.
In 2023, the ASI expert team visited twice to conduct initial surveys and assessments of the current situation and the direction of conservation and restoration work at Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery.
Accordingly, ASI hopes to reconstruct the architectural structure of the main gate and the two side gates, as well as conduct exploratory excavations of the site. ASI also requested that Vietnam provide all scientific data and records on Dong Duong to India so that experts can use this data to create a detailed project report on Dong Duong.
Mr. Ho Xuan Ring, Deputy Director of the Quang Nam Center for Relic Management, stated that ASI needs to provide specific restoration solutions for the E tower group at My Son. Dong Duong is a special national relic, therefore any activities related to the relic must have the opinion of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Therefore, ASI is required to submit a report on the relic exploration plan as well as the restoration plan so that Quang Nam can present it to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for their opinion.
During a meeting between ASI experts and the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, ASI stated that in January they will send an initial survey and restoration plan to Quang Nam to seek feedback from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
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