Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Thanh Ngoc, head of the Engineering Division under the Hue City Military Command, said on September 9 that the bunker in Phu Xuan Ward was being removed as part of an ongoing conservation project.
As the site is located along busy Ton That Thiep Street, work is being carried out between 7 pm and 9 pm from September 6 to 10 to minimise disruption and ensure public safety.
The bunker is the 27th of 31 former military structures and fortifications within the Hue Imperial Citadel scheduled for removal.
Three bunkers inside the Imperial City, at Ngu Tien Office, Co Ha Garden and Dien Tho Palace, are also slated for removal. The structure near Ngu Tien Office, close to Hoa Binh Gate, has already been dismantled.
Around 10 cubic metres of stone recovered from the site has been retained for future restoration work, according to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.
The removal programme began on July 31 and is scheduled to run until September 30. In addition to the 31 structures within the citadel, nine former military structures at Tran Hai Thanh fortress and the Van Mieu-Vo Mieu area will also be removed.
The work is part of the second phase of a project to conserve and restore the Hue Imperial Citadel, with total investment of nearly VND 37 billion.
Built under Emperor Gia Long and largely completed under Emperor Minh Mang, the Hue Imperial Citadel has 10 main gates and two waterways, Dong Thanh Thuy Quan and Tay Thanh Thuy Quan, connecting it with the outside via the Ngu Ha River.
According to the Dai Nam Thuc Luc, the Nguyen Dynasty's official chronicle, Tay Thanh Thuy Quan was built in 1826 alongside the excavation of the western section of the Ngu Ha River.
The water gate channels water from the Ke Van River into the Ngu Ha River, a man-made waterway running through the citadel. It historically served as both a drainage system and an important route for boats carrying goods into the imperial capital.
Under the Nguyen Dynasty, Tay Thanh Thuy Quan also formed part of the citadel's western defences, with a cannon once positioned above the gate.
