On 13/7, the Hue Department of Culture and Sports announced that Tran Huu Thuy Giang, Vice Chairman of Hue City, approved the proposal to draft a project report to prevent the degradation of Empress Dowager Tu Cung's memorial house.

Empress Dowager Tu Cung's house has been locked for many years. Photo: Vo Thanh

The department tasked the Hue Museum of Fine Arts and a consulting unit with developing the renovation plan and budget. Previously, the department consulted with the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and the Department of Construction, agreeing on the urgent need for a project to preserve this historically and culturally significant structure, which is closely linked to the life of Empress Dowager Tu Cung.

The two-story house, located at 145 Phan Dinh Phung street, Thuan Hoa ward, was the residence of Doan Huy Empress Dowager, wife of King Khai Dinh (1916-1925) and mother of King Bao Dai (1926-1945). She lived there from 1955, following the confiscation of An Dinh Palace by the Ngo Dinh Diem government.

Before her death in 1980, she bequeathed the entire house to the heritage management agency for preservation, to serve as a memorial linked to the life of the last empress dowager.

A portrait and altar of Empress Dowager Tu Cung on the second floor of the house. Photo: Vo Thanh

The house was previously managed by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, but it has been largely abandoned and degraded for many years. The main building remained closed. In late 2025, Empress Dowager Tu Cung's memorial house was transferred to the Hue Department of Culture and Sports for management.

Nguyen Thien Binh, Deputy Director of the Hue Department of Culture and Sports, stated that the department assigned Empress Dowager Tu Cung's memorial house to the Hue Museum of Fine Arts, where it will serve as the museum's third facility.

Vo Thanh