After four years of restoration, Long An Palace welcomed once again visitors to this historic place. Located in the ${bigcity_Hue:"Hue"} royal citadel, the grand structure reopened on Sunday after undergoing restoration worth US$1.2 million. Long An Palace was built in 1845 under the reign of King Thieu Tri. It was destroyed in 1885 when the French soldiers took over Bao Dinh Residence (its primary location) and used it as their headquarters. It was reassembled and moved to 3 Le Truc Street (its present location) in 1909 by order of Emperor Duy Tan. 
 
Long An Palace was used as a resting place for kings after ceremonies and other related events during that time. The structure was made of wood, had seven compartments and two annexes, and stood on one-of-a-kind timber pillars. Its wooden panels bore 35 poems and essays written by King Tri himself.
 
Coinciding with the reopening of the palace, the Hue Museum of Royal Fine Art, which is situated inside Long An Palace itself, also reopened. The Hue Monuments Conservation Center reopened the museum which has a collection of 10,000 items dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty. It also has different artifacts coming from other Asian countries consisting of wood, gold, pottery, ivory, bronze, stone, jade, ancient coins and royal seals.
 
For history buffs, tourists and other would-be visitors, the museum is now open from Tuesday to Sunday.