Japan supports Quang Nam in repairing the relic of the Covered Bridge

Covered Bridge (also known as Japanese bridge, the name given by Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu is Lai Vien Kieu) was built 400 years ago by Japanese merchants and expatriates in Hoi An.

This special relic has become a beautiful symbol of cultural exchange, the long-term relationship between the country and the world. Japan with Hoi An city in particular and between Vietnam and Japan in general.

Over time, although it has been preserved by generations of Hoi An people, as an inevitable rule, the Covered Bridge cannot avoid deterioration, so the restoration of this relic is currently an urgent matter. .

Faced with that situation, local authorities at all levels have carried out activities to restore the relic of the Covered Bridge and received valuable support from Japan in terms of technical expertise and experience.

Mr. Tran Van Tan – Vice Chairman of Quang Nam province said, with the special nature of being the symbol of Hoi An cultural heritage, a symbol of the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and Japan, the renovation must be carried out. extremely cautious, need the support of scientists, domestic and foreign experts, especially experience from Japan.

“This is a events has important implications for the scientific results of renovating the monument, and more especially, it strengthens the long-standing friendship relationship between the two countries of Vietnam and Japan”, said Vice President. Quang Nam province spoke.

Vice President of Quang Nam province believes that with the support of Japanese experts in technical expertise and experience, surely the Cau Chua relic in Hoi An ancient town will be restored with the best results. The value of the monument will be preserved in an authentic, complete and sustainable way in the future.

Mr. Shimizu Akira – Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office said that according to the cooperation proposal of Hoi An city based on the long-term cooperation with JICA, JICA is expected to support the project to restore the Covered Bridge built by the province. Quang Nam and Hoi An city as the investor, through sending Japanese experts and volunteers.

According to Mr. Shimizu Akira, up to now, JICA has been actively and continuously supporting the preservation of Hoi An ancient town for more than 20 years. Before Hoi An was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage in 1999, JICA sent 5 experts to provide technical assistance in conservation and restoration of traditional architectures to Hoi An. Since 2003, 11 Japanese volunteers have been sent to work at the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Center.

As a result of this long-term cooperation, the restoration of traditional architectures and the preservation of entire street blocks of the Old Quarter area have been carried out smoothly.

In addition, JICA has implemented a grant project to improve water quality and sanitation in the Cau Chua area, making efforts to comprehensively support to protect the environment of this area.

The Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office believes that these cooperation results will be promoted in the restoration of the Covered Bridge. JICA hopes that the restoration of the Covered Bridge will help boost the economy of Hoi An city in the post-Covid-19 period.

“The year 2023 is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan. We hope that the successful restoration of the Covered Bridge – a symbol of the history of Vietnam-Japan exchanges will be a turning point. , help attract more guests tourism This project will become a bridge to further promote exchanges between Vietnam and Japan in general, and between Hoi An city and Japan in particular,” said Mr. Shimizu Akira.

It is known that Quang Nam province spends more than 20 billion dong to restore Cau Pagoda. The project is invested by the People’s Committee of Hoi An City. In which, construction cost is 13.2 billion VND; project management 403 million dong; construction investment consulting is 1.7 billion dong, provision is 3.6 billion dong and other expenses are nearly 1.1 billion dong.

The restoration of the Cau Chua relic is expected to begin construction in mid-2022. The project implementation period is until 2023.