A shortage of funds is hampering the restoration of many of Hoi An\'s oldest houses, some of which are facing collapse.
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| Tourists visit an historic house in Hoi An Town in Quang Nam Province. Many old cultural relics need urgent restoration. — VNS Photo Doan Tung |
Nguyen Duc Minh, deputy director of the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Preservation and Management Centre, said 103 out of nearly 1,400 cultural relics, including old houses in the town, needed urgent restoration.
According to a recent survey by the centre, as many as 38 cultural relics would collapse if they suffered further storm damage, while another 65 were at risk of flooding.
According to the municipal People\'s Committee, there are 28 nationally recognised cultural relics in the town, 34 in Quang Nam Province and about 1,300 others recognised locally as historically important.
Since 1999, when Hoi An Ancient Town was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, about VND66 billion (then US$6 million) has been poured into restoring and preserving public relics, in addition to VND5.2 billion spent on renovating privately owned houses.
Minh said that private-owned old houses accounted for 82 per cent of all relics.
Depending on the location and condition of the house, the city pays between 25 to 75 percent of the cost of the restoration work, Minh said.
Hoi An spends on average VND10 billion ($486,000) a year on restoring about 10 old houses.
However, many house owners complain that the cost of the restoration work is excessive because of the special materials required, said Le Van Giang, chairman of the Hoi An People\'s Committee, adding that restoring timber is far more costly than restoring houses made from concrete.
Minh added that traditionally made bricks and roof tiles were also hard to get hold of.
"All restoration work is conducted in accordance with the Law on Construction, which necessitates the work being put out to tender," Minh said.
According to the centre\'s survey, more than 260 old houses earmarked for renovation had been sold or rented out to private residents or businesses, further hampering restoration.
"Local residents move out of the house their ancestors have lived in for centuries and new owners make alterations, sometimes drastic structural changes," Minh said.
"To discourage residents from selling up and moving elsewhere, the local authority is considering a plan to pay for the full cost of the restoration work on condition home-owners stay. If eventually they do move out, they would have to refund the full cost of the restoration work," Minh said.
"It\'s not just about restoring old houses, its about preserving the spirit and identity of the old town," he said.
