Thanh Chiem Palace honoured as national site

The Quang Nam provincial authorities held a ceremony on June 12, to receive a certificate honouring Thanh Chiem Palace as a national relic site.

Representative from Dien Ban district's authorities receives a certificate honouring Thanh Chiem Palace as a national relic site. (Photo: baoquangnam.vn)
Representative from Dien Ban district's authorities receives a certificate honouring Thanh Chiem Palace as a national relic site. (Photo: baoquangnam.vn)

Speaking at the event, Le Tri Thanh, Deputy Chairman of Quang Nam provincial People’s Committee, recalled that Thanh Chiem Palace was built in 1602 by Nguyen Hoang (1525–1613), the first of the Nguyen Lords, in Thanh Chiem commune (now Dien Phuong commune, Dien Ban district).

The Palace is considered as the second major capital of the Nguyen Lords, after Phu Xuan palace. It also served as a political, military, economic and cultural centre, where princes were trained in how to rule the country after they were selected to be the heir.

Throughout its 230 years of existence from 1602 to 1832, the Palace established a certain historical role. From 1615, the Palace welcomed many Western missionaries, who co-ordinated with the local Vietnamese people to create the modern writing system of the Vietnamese language. It also hosted the first school specialising in the teaching of Vietnamese script.

The site was recognised as a provincial relic in 2008.

According to Nong Quoc Thanh, Deputy Director of Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the recognition for Thanh Chiem Palace aims to show appreciation for the ancestors who made significant contributions to the national construction and defence.

He asked the local authorities and people to put forward measures to safeguard and promote the heritage’s values and make it a tourist attraction for visitors to the locality.