On July 11, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed Decision No. 882/QD-TTg approving a project on preserving and restoring the Marble Mountains.

The decision is an important legal basis for the Da Nang government to manage and protect the special national relic site in harmony with the requirements of the socio-economic development needs, as well as embellish and promote the value of this scenic spot to become an attractive cultural space and entertainment spot in the city.

The Marble Mountains scenic spot is seen from the Thuy Son (the Mountain of Water). Photo: X.D

Many important items

According to the decision, the planning scope, with an area of 1,049,701m2, is determined according to the map of zoning protected areas 1 and 2. Specifically, the planning area borders Truong Sa Street and seaside resorts to the east, the Co Co River to the west and south, and Pham Huu Nhat Street and Hoa Hai 2 resettlement area to the north.

Under the planning project, the Marble Mountains scenic spot has a functional area related to preserving the scenic structures and the other related to embellishing and promoting the scenic value.

In particular, the functional area related to the preservation of scenic structures was adjusted to expand the scope of protected area 1 of the Marble Mountains to 189,821m², including the landscape area of 6 mountains ( Kim, Moc, Thuy, Tho, Duong Hoa and Am Hoa ), the additional area of the Ghenh mountain area (8,373m²) and the rocky southeastern part of the Am Hoa Mt. (328m²).

The functional area related to embellishing and promoting the scenic value will include public areas (covered performance stage, children's park, community area, etc), tourism services (square, food service, display and sale of traditional handicraft products, etc.), green space, auxiliary space and transportation system.

Notably, the architectural space and landscape are planned in the direction of preserving the original elements as much as possible and adding appropriate new identifying elements.

In which, the focus will be on preserving all outstanding values of the Marble Mountains; and the tangible and intangible cultural heritages in the region such as the limestone mountain system and caves, ‘ma nhai’, ecosystems and intangible cultural heritages (Quan The Am Festival, Khue Bac Communal House Festival).

Additionally, importance will be attached to setting up a cultural space and festival route connecting the sea space, as well as building technical infrastructure at the foot of mountains and around the festival axis such as parking lots, and fine art business areas.

The Prime Minister's decision approving the Marble Mountains landscape planning is an important legal basis for Da Nang to manage, protect and promote the value of the special national relic. IN PHOTO: Foreign tourists at the Marble Mountains. Photo: X.D

A great cultural project

The aforementioned decision is the desire of the city in general, and the government and people of Ngu Hanh Son District in particular after more than 5 years of this scenic spot having been ranked as a special national-level relic site.

According to People's Artist Huynh Hung, former Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, Prime Minister-issued decision is an important legal basis for the city to manage, protect and promote the value of the Marble Mountains, as well as raise the level of landscape and spread the value of this special national relic to a large number of tourists near and far.

“I believe that, after being planned, the Marble Mountains Tourist Area will definitely be brought to a new level in the coming time" he added.

The planning on preservation, renovation and restoration of Ngu Hanh Son scenic spots has 7 component project groups. Included are compensation, site clearance, resettlement, and protection of the scenic spot; embellishing natural landscape and environment associated with the Marble Mountains; upgrading the traffic system and technical infrastructure in protected area 1; collecting and supplementing documents and artifacts and promoting the value of intangible cultural heritages; conserving ecosystems; building functional zones and supporting works to promote the value of relics and technical infrastructure in order to develop tourism products and services.

The project groups will be implemented in 3 phases during the 2023 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

Specifically, project groups Nos.1, 2, 3 and some component projects in groups No. 6 and No. 7 will be implemented between 2023 and 2026.

In the next five years, project groups Nos. 4, No. 5 and a number of component projects in project groups No. 6 and No. 7 will be carried out.  In the 2030-2050 period, the remaining project groups will be implemented.

According to the Vietnamese Government's decision, the investment capital for the implementation of the project on preserving and restoring the Marble Mountains shall use the State budget and mobilise other lawful capital sources.

Particularly, the State budget will be allocated to implement project groups related to original items constituting scenic landscapes, systems of architectural works with historical, cultural, architectural and artistic value, and items serving promotion of the value of the relic site.

Meanwhile, trade, tourism and service projects will be invested by secondary investors under the decentralised management of the locality.

The Head of the Management Board of the Marble Mountains Nguyen Van Hien said that in the immediate future, with its role, his unit will try to manage well and keep the status quo of the landscape intact, as well as publicise the planning content among local residents.

After having detailed 1:500 planning, the Management Board will ask the authorities at all levels to implement the items in the front-to-back order. On that basis, the Ngu Hanh Son District People’s Committee will advise the municipal Department of Culture and Sports and the municipal government to calculate the capital source and submit a resolution of the city People's Council to consider and invest.

Reporting by X.DUNG - Translating by M.DUNG