ABOUT US     SITEMAP       HOME     VIETNAMESE EDITION  
 SEARCH 


 
HOME PAGE
 
   POLITICS
   BUSINESS
   SOCIETY
   YOUTH
   SPORTS
   ENTERTAINMENT
   TRAVEL
   HEALTH
   WORLD / REGION
   SPECIAL REPORT
   COMMENTARIES
   COMMUNITY
   EDITORIAL
----------------------------



 
 
 
 
Thanh Nien
 

Chief Editor : Mr. Nguyen Quang Thong
Managing Deputy Editor: Mr. Dang Thanh Tinh
248 Cong Quynh St . , Distr. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Tel: 84 8 8 394 046
Fax: 84 8 8 322 025

Thanh Nien is the tribune of Vietnam’s Youth Association

Publication permit No. 14/GP-BC, granted by Press Department, Vietnam Ministry of Culture and Information.

Hot News: 
Last Updated:
E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend Print versionPrint version
Heritage houses in UNESCO-listed Vietnam town crumbling
Many privately-owned buildings of historical and cultural significance in Vietnam’s centuries-old Hoi An Town are in bad shape needing repairs but funds are in short supply.

Hoi An in Quang Nam province was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999.

But 125 old houses were deemed to be in an “emergency state”, Nguyen Duc Minh, deputy director of the town’s Center for Managing and Restoring Heritages, said.

A historical house at No 16 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street belonging to the La family is one such.

The two-story, 100 sq.m house has been abandoned for years since all its roof beams and pillars are in complete disrepair, partly eaten by termites.

Only one third of its yin-yang roof now remains. The roof is called such since it is tiled in traditional Chinese style with alternate rows facing upward and downward.

House No 10 on the same street is also in bad shape.

A privately-owned ancient temple on 84 Tran Phu Street has also been abandoned for many years.

Cash crunch

According to the restoration center, 142 old public structures have been restored at over VND48 billion (US$3 million) in the past seven years but the government spent less then VND1.6 billion on restoring 107 privately-owned houses.

Of the 1,107 old structures in the town’s region 1, some 916 are privately owned.

In 2003-2005, the center announced two projects to restore 217 heritage sites belonging to private citizens but they are yet to start due to lack of funds.

Though the local government has promised to put up 45 percent of the cost of restoring the house at 16 Nguyen Thai Hoc, its owners are unable to raise their share of the amount. The restoration is expected to cost over VND1 billion ($62,500).

Expert Le Van Tang said restoration activities in Hoi An had been done “causally”, using poor-quality materials, and by incompetent workers.

Tiling yin-yang roofs in the traditional way would help them withstand strong typhoons like the recent Xangsane but would require 600 tiles per meter. In recent years, the roofs had been restored using just 150-200 tiles per meter.

Nguyen Su, the town’s Communist Party chief, said it was time to set up a specialized fund to restore such historical sites. The town now has a tourism development fund.

Xangsane hit the province last month, partly destroying 80 old houses and totally destroying five.

Since the typhoon, 50 such houses have been standing on props.

Reported by Khai Ly – Translated by Hoang Bao

E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend Print versionPrint version To top
 OTHER TOP STORIES
Children suffer as formula milk companies circumvent law
More than money
Tricks of the trade
Home not so sweet for workers returning from abroad
A burning issue
 
 OTHER HEADLINES
Don’t let foreign bosses do whatever they like
Vietnamese mathematician to teach at US university
Teachers cannot make their mark without insightful comments
Climate change fails to thwart resort rush
Shuttle Endeavour blasts off for space station
Delta workers hospitalized after mass hysteria attack
Flowers on the water
Writing history
Binh Duong slides into first place
Earth Hour 2010 Vietnam seeks greater climate change awareness
More flights means more traffic before Tet
Biggest gold outfit imports 4 tons to keep prices in check
US to boost national defense cooperation with Vietnam

   
 
 
Politics | Business | Society | Youth | Sports | Entertainment | Travel | Health | 
World / Region | Special report | Commentaries | Community | Editorial | 
Homepage | Contact | Sitemap | About us | Vietnam Edition
Copyright © 2004 Privacy policy