PANO – An inauguration ceremony for the restored O Quan Chuong Relic Site was held on January 4th, 2011, at O Quan Chuong in Hanoi, with the presence of Mr. Michael Michalak, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, and Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, Deputy-head of the Hanoi City People’s Committee.

O Quan Chuong, Hanoi’s last remaining ancient city gate and a landmark of Hanoi, was built in 1749 during the Le Dynasty, and ruined by the ravages of time.

With a US $74,500 grant from Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation from the U.S. Department of State, Vietnamese restoration experts have worked for several months to repair damaged sections and to strengthen the gate’s foundation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Michalak expressed his happiness at the success of the first stage of the restoration of O Quan Chuong.

He also hoped that O Quan Chuong, the symbol of the resilience of the people of Hanoi, would be a symbol for the friendship between Vietnam and the U.S.A.

While looking around the restored O Quan Chuong, the U.S. Ambassador joyfully repeated the word “Great” many times.

On behalf of the Hanoi City People’s Committee, Ms. Hang expressed gratitude to the U.S. Embassy for its support for the restoration of the ancient city gate. She stressed that “This will be a symbol of the cooperation, respect and relationship between people of Vietnam and the U.S.A.”.

On this occasion, she asked relevant agencies to work with each other to carry out solutions to preserve and promote values of the O Quan Chuong relic site, in order to attract more and more domestic and international tourists to O Quan Chuong and the Capital of Hanoi.

Mai Huong