The US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) has funded the restoration of part of a red-lacquered and gold-trimmed collection of wooden devotional items, including altars and other furniture, at Thai Binh Provincial Museum.

So far, 15 out of the 29 items proposed in the project, which costs US$30,000, have been restored.

The pieces, dating from the 17th to 19th century, were collected by the museum from around the province, mainly in communal houses, pagodas, temples, and shrines.

The objects not only have historical and cultural value, but are also folk art pieces which reflect the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people living in one of the Hong (Red) River Delta provinces.

The AFCP was established by the US Department of State in 2001 to help less-developed countries preserve cultural heritage and to demonstrate US respect for other cultures.

Since then, the AFCP has supported more than 650 cultural preservation projects worldwide, including 10 projects in Vietnam, totalling $29 million.