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| Firefighters work to extinguish the fire at the building in Quốc Tử Giám. — VNA/VNS Photo Đỗ Trưởng |
THỪA THIÊN–HUẾ — A building in the UNESCO-recognised Quốc Tử Giám (Imperial Academy) relic in the imperial city of Huế was seriously damaged by fire on Wednesday afternoon.
At around 2.30pm, a massive fire broke out at a building in the relic, with huge smoke billowing into the sky.
The building displays many artefacts from the resistance war against French colonialists.
The fire prevention and fighting force was immediately deployed to the scene.
After about two hours, the fire was extinguished entirely but had destroyed half the building, collapsed its roof and burnt many artefacts inside.
Quốc Tử Giám in Huế City was a national university to train talents in the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945).
Together with the Temple of Literature in the capital city of Hà Nội, Quốc Tử Giám in Huế City is one of Việt Nam’s two remaining universities from the feudal period.
In December 1993, Quốc Tử Giám, along with the system of Nguyễn Dynasty royal relics, was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage.
Previously, it was used as the headquarters of the Thừa Thiên-Huế History Museum. The museum was moved to a new location in 2020, but many artefacts are still stored and temporarily displayed at the site.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. — VNS
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