Female officer dedicated to relic restoration work in Nghe An

Participated in the restoration and embellishment of more than 500 relics

Born in 1979, in Quynh Nghia commune, Quynh Luu district, graduated from the Museum major, Hanoi University of Culture in 2000, Ms. Truong Thi Thu worked at the Exhibition Room, Nghe An Museum.

In July 2002, she transferred to the Propaganda Department, Nghe An Monuments and Landscapes Management Board (now Nghe An Monuments Management Board). Since July 2007, she has worked at the Restoration Department, Nghe An Monuments Management Board, holding the positions of Deputy Head of Department (from August 2013 to January 2019) and then Head of Department (from January 2019 to present).

Ms. Thu said that in the work of restoring and embellishing relics, her job is to survey and evaluate the current status of the relics, propose restoration plans, coordinate with qualified consulting units to survey, prepare technical and economic reports for submission to superiors and related sectors for approval, and provide professional supervision for relic restoration construction activities...

Ms. Truong Thi Thu - Head of Restoration Department, Nghe An Provincial Monument Management Board. Photo: Minh Quan.

“In the process of restoring and embellishing relics, we follow the principle of preventing degradation but still try to ensure the maximum spirit and original value of the relic. Therefore, during the construction process, we only replace severely damaged components that may affect the overall structure of the relic, and try to reuse the old components. For example, with rafters and trusses that are rotten inside but the outside patterns and carvings are still beautiful, we apply the plan of filling and preventing termites, not replacing them…”, Ms. Truong Thi Thu shared.

According to Ms. Thu, when she was an officer of the Nghe An Museum Exhibition Room, she had been exposed to a lot of information about relics through the implementation of thematic exhibitions. However, when she switched to relic restoration work, she could not avoid being confused.

“At first, I was quite overwhelmed with the knowledge about relic architecture, such as the column frame system, roof structure, truss, breeding system... and also the customs and cultural activities related to relics. To keep up with the new job and complete the task well, I had to research and study in books and on field trips, and then participate in training courses of the Department of Culture. After a while, I gradually became more confident with my work,” Ms. Thu confided.

Historical and cultural relics often exist over time, leaving behind the mark of the efforts, intelligence, style and creativity of many successive generations. Therefore, when constructing and implementing a relic conservation project, it is necessary to pay attention to the continuity of cultural development, inheritance and cultural adaptation of that relic. At the same time, careful research is needed to avoid distorting the value and nature of the relic.

Therefore, during the process of surveying, restoring and embellishing relics, I always listen and share with local people, especially the elderly and prestigious people.

Ms. Truong Thi Thu - Head of Restoration Department, Nghe An Relic Management Board.

With more than 15 years of experience in relic restoration, Ms. Truong Thi Thu has participated in the restoration and embellishment of more than 500 relics in the province. In particular, from 2019 to present, as Head of the Relic Restoration Department, Nghe An Relic Management Board, she and the department have conducted surveys to assess the current status, prepared economic and technical reports and completed the organization of restoration and embellishment of nearly 50 relics; set up boundary markers to protect 16 relics; promptly surveyed, guided, and advised on the restoration, embellishment, and reconstruction of relics using socialized resources for hundreds of relics and issues related to relics at the request of the Department of Culture and Sports, as well as of localities.

Ms. Truong Thi Thu (right) during a survey of relic restoration in Yen Thanh district. Photo: NVCC

In addition, Ms. Truong Thi Thu also carried out many scientific topics that were recognized as grassroots initiatives with high practical value such as "Current situation and solutions to improve the effectiveness of relic restoration and embellishment work in the province", "Solutions to implement relic restoration and embellishment work during the Covid-19 pandemic", "Some solutions to effectively implement the work of marking boundaries to protect relics", "Mobilizing social resources to build Phan Boi Chau Memorial House under the Phan Boi Chau Memorial Restoration and Embellishment Project"...

Concerns

For more than 15 years, Ms. Truong Thi Thu has experienced many happy and sad memories with the work of restoring and embellishing relics. “When I first started working at the Department of Monument Restoration, the work encountered many difficulties, because the budget for relic restoration activities was very low, urgent restoration activities were only temporary “support” and not very effective. Previously, the restoration budget was transferred directly to the locality, every time I returned to the base to do the procedures to transfer the budget, I always received complaints from local authorities, relic management boards, representatives of clans… that the restoration money was low, while the process and procedures for preparing design documents and budget estimates were complicated.

Once, I received news that a temple, a National Monument in Dien Thang Commune (Dien Chau), was seriously degraded. I rode my motorbike from Vinh to survey the site. When I arrived, it was raining heavily. Although I had contacted the temple management board in advance, no one came to receive me. So I had to go to the Commune People's Committee to persuade the commune leaders to coordinate in carrying out the survey steps, prepare a dossier to assess the current status of the monument, and prepare a dossier to estimate the cost of restoration...

Then, a few times when I conducted surveys to restore some temples and churches that needed urgent restoration, I had to spend a little extra money to support the facility in hiring a design estimate unit, also with the goal of ensuring that the relics could be restored in time...".

Officials of the Nghe An Provincial Relic Management Board, along with local authorities and residents, supervise the restoration of the Quynh Doi Communal House Relic, Quynh Doi Commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: NVCC

According to Ms. Truong Thi Thu, in recent years, the work of restoring and embellishing relics has received more attention from provincial leaders and relevant departments and branches. Along with that, the awareness of Party committees, authorities as well as people about the issue of preserving and promoting the value of relics has also been raised.

However, the work of preserving, restoring and embellishing relics in Nghe An still faces many difficulties. Our province has a large and complex area, with a large number of relics (more than 2,600 relics, of which 471 have been ranked, 6 are special national relics, 144 are national relics, 321 are provincial relics) but are unevenly distributed in regions, causing many difficulties for the work of protection, management and promotion.

In addition, the monument's structures are mainly made of wood, formed and existed for a long time, while the weather and climate in Nghe An are harsh, so they are damaged and degraded a lot. On the other hand, the team doing management and conservation work is still lacking and weak; investment resources for the program to prevent monument degradation, although improved, still do not meet the actual needs of the locality.

Socialized resources in the renovation, embellishment and restoration of relics are mainly effective only in spiritual relics with a large number of visitors such as Hoang Muoi Temple, Qua Son Temple, Con Temple...; the remaining relics mostly depend on the provincial budget.

“At the end of 2022, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution 28 stipulating a number of policies to support the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values ​​in Nghe An province, including increasing the level of financial support for the restoration and embellishment of ranked relics. Hopefully, in the coming time, the Resolution will quickly come into effect so that relics in the province can escape from degradation and further promote the value of educating cultural and historical traditions for today's and future generations," Ms. Truong Thi Thu expressed.