On January 19, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports, Tran Thi Hoang Mai, reported that Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long signed Decision No. 151/QD-TTg approving the conservation, restoration, and renovation plan for the Special National Monument - Nguyen Binh Khiem Temple.
According to the plan, the long-term goal is to preserve, enhance, and promote the cultural value of the Special National Monument Nguyen Binh Khiem Temple and the associated intangible cultural heritage. This will contribute to fostering a tradition of learning and establishing the temple as a distinctive historical and cultural tourist attraction in Vinh Bao District and Hai Phong City. In the short term, the plan aims to restore and preserve the monument to honor the life and poetic works of Nguyen Binh Khiem, as well as to protect the natural landscape, ecological environment, and associated intangible cultural values.
The plan includes an expansion of the Nguyen Binh Khiem Temple area to 9.992 hectares, with specific protective zones as follows:
- The protective zone 1 remains unchanged at 0.317 hectares (as per the scientific dossier of the monument). Measures will be taken to preserve the current state of the existing structures.
- The protective zone 2 will be increased by approximately 0.842 hectares to reach 9.675 hectares. This includes adding 0.495 hectares from the Song Mai Temple and Pagoda area (dedicated to Lady Minh Nguyet, the wife of Nguyen Binh Khiem) to create an integrated landscape with the temple. Additionally, 1.655 hectares of agricultural land behind the grave of Nguyen Van Dinh will be added to zone 2 to form a green landscape buffer around the monument and ensure technical infrastructure consistency.
For Quan Trung Tan, the plan adjusts the area to 0.258 hectares, with zone 1 remaining at 0.017 hectares. Zone 2 will be increased by about 0.168 hectares to reach 0.241 hectares, including 0.177 hectares of the landscape and grounds of Tang Thinh Pagoda adjacent to Quán Trung Tân. This adjustment aims to create a unified landscape and technical infrastructure, enhancing the value of both Quán Trung Tân and Tang Thinh Pagoda.
For the Kinh Thien Pen Tower, the area will be adjusted to 0.471 hectares, with zone 1 remaining at 0.038 hectares. The surrounding landscape will be expanded to bring zone 2 to 0.433 hectares (an increase of about 0.368 hectares).
Additionally, the area for promoting the value of the monument will be adjusted to 9.089 hectares.
The Deputy Prime Minister has tasked the Hai Phong People’s Committee with publicly announcing the plan; reviewing and marking the boundaries of the monument’s protective zones; and incorporating these boundaries into scientific records and city planning documents as needed. The city is also to balance its budget for the implementation and to mobilize funding from domestic and international sources. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism will oversee the evaluation of specialized content for conservation, restoration, and renovation subprojects, ensuring compliance with approved objectives, plans, and legal regulations on cultural heritage.