Viet Nam News
HA NOI — A model of Mong Phu Village Gate, one of the unique architectural structures in the ancient village of Duong Lam on the outskirt of Ha Noi, was presented to Ha Noi Museum at a ceremony yesterday.
The model was a gift from Japanese professor and architect Ejima Akiyoshi. The professor spent over one year on creating a model of the village gate that is made of precious kinds of both Japanese and Southeast Asian wood.
The model, which is 90cm wide, 60cm long and 63cm high, can be assembled and dismantled and serve as a visual teaching aid for training of architects and students.
Built in 1553, Mong Phu is one of the oldest village gates in Viet Nam. Its structure, according to Professor Akiyoshi, “is a unique combination between laterite bricks and wood”. Its gate was restored in 2008 in a joint project between Viet Nam and Japan.
The exhibit introduces and promotes the values of Duong Lam Village, a national relic and Mong Phu Village Gate, in particular, the Museum said. It is also aimed at enhancing the awareness of Ha Noi residents, especially young people, of the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage.
The event is also expected to boost cooperation and cultural exchanges between Viet Nam and Japan.
Addressing the ceremony, Truong Minh Tien, deputy director of Ha Noi’s Department of Culture and Sports, expressed his sincere thanks to Professor Akiyoshi for the gift.
“Ha Noi’s Department of Culture and Sports and Ha Noi Museum are very honoured on receiving such a meaningful object. We will preserve and promote its meaning by integrating it into researches and practical activities. We hope that the professor and other researchers will continue to assist Ha Noi in managing, preserving and promoting the cultural values of the 1,000-year-old capital,” he said.
Professor Akiyoshi also said he was honored to have participated in restoring many typical structures within Viet Nam. “The donation somehow demonstrates my affection and friendship between me and local people,” he said.
“It is a model that is really worth researching,” noted professor Phan Huy Le, chairman of Vietnam Association of History and Science at the ceremony.
Professor Akiyoshi has participated in the research and restoration of many of Viet Nam’s relics, including Hoi An’s old town, an ancient house in Bac Ninh and the ancient Duong Lam village.
He attended 17 projects researching and restoring Duong Lam Village. In 2004, he received For the Cultural Cause Medal presented by the Vietnamese Government. — VNS