Threatened Ancient Monumental Site in Viet Nam Receives Needed Attention

By Heritage on the Wire

In 2004, Vietnam’s My Son Sanctuary — imperiled at the time by Vietnam War damage, illegal looting, deterioration from exposure, overall decay, and vegetation overgrowth — became the focus of a GHF [Global Heritage Fund] project. After successful efforts to support urgently needed stabilization, archaeological documentation, planning, site conservation and training, My Son was declared a “Completed Project” in 2006.
But no cultural heritage site, no matter how well preserved or protected, is ever completely free from threats. At My Son, in particular, skyrocketing tourism as a result of increased popularity and accessibility has put pressure on the ancient temples, especially during peak visiting times.
According to a recent report by VietNamNet, the number of tourists to My Son has soared from only 27,104 in 1999 — the year it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List — to 209,032 in 2011. Revenue from entry fees last year totaled nearly VND11 billion ($500,000), with the site welcoming some 500-700 daily visitors on weekdays and 1,200-1,500 on weekends.
One problem for site management is that an especially large number of visitors arrive between 9:00-11:00 a.m., overloading the site and creating a shortage of guides and transport. With only six vehicles and 12 guides available, the My Son Relic Preservation Board says it is impossible to satisfy hundreds of visitors at once and that there is no choice but to allow additional cars inside the site — against the advice of conservation experts.
Nguyen Cong Huong, head of the management board, said that travel companies will be encouraged to bring tourists at non-peak hours. The board will also consider relaxing pressure on the site by reducing (or even altogether eliminating) ticket prices during the afternoon.
My Son, perhaps the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina, features a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries AD by the kings of Champa. A single week of carpet-bombing campaigns during August 1969 razed the site from more than 70 temples to its current 20, several of which were considered vulnerable to collapse prior to the beginning of GHF’s project work in 2004.
But there is good news............

 http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/march-2012/article/threatened-ancient-monumental-site-in-viet-nam-receives-needed-attention

For nearly a decade, conservationists at My Son Sanctuary in Vietnam have enjoyed tremendous support from the government of Italy. Now, thanks to a new grant of $250,000 over the next two years, "Safeguarding of My Son World Heritage" will enter a third phase of restoration and conservation.
The project’s first two phases have seen Italian, UNESCO and Vietnamese experts conduct research activities and materials analysis, test building techniques, and provide vocational training for officials and management officers. From 2004 to 2006, My Son received support from GHF for urgently needed stabilization, archaeological documentation, planning, site conservation and training


According to a UNESCO press release, the project’s third phase will “continue the restoration of the G group monuments (G2, enclosing wall) but more importantly, the project will strengthen the interpretation system of the site and make restoration works accessible to the public for a better raising [of] awareness on heritage preservation.”
This is important news for My Son, as recent reports have warned of overcrowding and unsustainable tourism. In 1999, the year it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the site received only 27, 104 visitors. But by 2011, that number had skyrocketed to 209,032. This has created a shortage of guides and transport vehicles, leading site officials to allow additional cars inside the site, against the advice of conservation experts.
As one of Vietnam’s most spectacular archaeological sites, My Son is hugely important to the country both culturally and economically. Although largely destroyed by US carpet-bombing campaigns in August 1969, the site’s remaining temples stand as a testament to perhaps the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina, while simultaneously providing key business opportunities for the surrounding local communities.
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News Source: Vietnam’s My Son Seeks Solutions for Increased Tourism, and Italy Continues Support of My Son Sanctuary, published by the Global Heritage Fund.
Cover Photo, Top Left: One of the temples at My Son, Vietnam, Quang Nam province. by Thomas Hirsch 2002. Ravn, Wikimedia Commons
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