The Science Board of Hue Monuments Conservation Center has approved a draft project for restoring the Thieu Phuong Imperial Garden, which was first planted by the Nguyen Dynasty in 1844, Phung Phu, Director of the Center announced March 20.

The project will be carried out from this October and is expected to be finished by June 2010.

The Thieu Phuong Imperial Garden is located by the northern gate of Forbidden Citadel, in front of Thai Binh Lau (Royal Library) and near Duyet Thi Street.

Four traditional wooden houses, linked by brick alleys, will be erected on an area of nearly 8,000 square meters.

A stream will flow around the park decorated with ornamental and fruit-trees, and will contain various rock structures.

The restoration is based on several historical documents and a drawing of the garden.

Thieu Phuong was named by King Thieu Tri as one of the ten most beautiful sceneries of the Forbidden City, and was a prominent fixture of the twenty landscapes in the old city.

Thieu Phuong Imperial Park is the first to be restored among the 30 imperial parks in the former imperial city of Hue.

The park will be an attraction for the event 'Khám phá bí mật vườn thượng uyển' ('Discover secrets of the royal garden') in the program 'Đêm hoàng cung' ('The Royal Evening') during the Hue Festival 2010.