COVID-19 Memorial: A reminder of a difficult but meaningful time

covid-19 - Ảnh 1. — People in Hiep Binh Phuoc ward, Ho Chi Minh City buy free necessities... from businesses in coordination with the ward Youth Union to take care of the lives of the poor affected by the COVID-19 epidemic (photo taken in June 2021) - Photo: HA

According to him, COVID-19 is a global event, affecting not only the people of Ho Chi Minh City, the people of Vietnam but also the whole world . Building a memorial to the victims of the pandemic is very necessary, thereby honoring and promoting the spirit of national solidarity in peacetime. He said:

- The reason for emphasizing peacetime is because after the war, there was a period when the country was moving forward to innovate and build the country, people lived fast, lived in a hurry, and emphasized the individual, unintentionally forgetting many good community values.

The story of Vietnamese people and city people joining hands, uniting, and supporting each other in the recent difficult challenges reminds us of one of those good traditions.

With a focus on green spaces, heritage conservation and diverse cultural functions, the entire COVID-19 memorial complex serves as a memory bank and community school, where lessons from the past are stored and humanistic values are cultivated for future generations.

Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son

Ho Chi Minh City aims to become a livable city

* In recent years, there has been a phenomenon of "over-eating" of monuments and memorials, so not everyone supports it. However, the project that the city is about to build has received a lot of public support. Why is that?

- Not only me, but many people feel that the city's policy is very reasonable. I also have a younger sister who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic. And many other families also have relatives and acquaintances who have passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic. But life forces people to look forward to living, even though until now, that pain has not subsided.

When hearing Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang inform about the Party Committee's policy of turning two golden lands, Nha Rong Wharf and No. 1 Ly Thai To - which investors are very eager to build high-rise buildings - into parks, cultural spaces, and heritage preservation, not only I but many people in the city strongly supported it. The cluster of works that we are talking about is located entirely on one of those two golden lands.

Invite people nationwide to contribute ideas for the COVID-19 Victims Memorial Project in Ho Chi Minh City

* What does a symbolic project of unanimously overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a grand strategy show?

- Shows that city leaders are interested in developing livable urban areas, instead of developing the economy at all costs like before. There was a time when the country and the city were facing difficulties, we were forced to prioritize economic development. But the situation is much different now.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is seriously lacking in green space. We only have about 0.5m² of green space per capita, while the planning target that the city has set in meetings over the past decades is 10m² (meaning a 20-fold increase).

Try looking at Ho Chi Minh City from above, if Ly Thai To and Saigon port are not turned into green and cultural parks, what other places are there? They are all covered in white concrete.

The city’s decision to transform Ly Thai To area and Saigon port into a park and cultural facility is a strategic decision of great significance. It “scratches the right itch”, addressing the needs of the city’s residents. I highly respect and appreciate that decision.

covid-19 - Ảnh 2. — Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son

Green nucleus of the educational - cultural urban quadrilateral

* From an architect's perspective, what principles do you think need to be ensured when constructing this entire project?

- The area of Ly Thai To, Nguyen Van Cu, Nguyen Trai and Tran Binh Trong invisibly creates a cultural - educational urban quadrangle thanks to the presence of many important facilities. These are universities: Natural Sciences, Saigon, Pedagogy...; Le Hong Phong high schools, Saigon Practicing High School; nearby there are also student dormitories, boarding houses, Lam Son sports space as well as Ho Thi Ky flower market...

The COVID-19 memorial complex on Ly Thai To land is considered the green core of the quadrangle. I hope the city can preserve the existing green space, which is already very beautiful. I hope that whatever is done here, trees will not be cut down, and more should be planted.

Inside the land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To, there are 7 old villas that have been abandoned for many years - once the residence of Uncle Hoa's family, known as the "real estate king" of old Saigon. These 7 villas have the same architectural style as Bao Dai Palace in Da Lat.

This means that the city has up to 7 precious villas. These villas should be renovated and converted into cultural facilities to serve the people; at the same time, the fences should be removed so that everyone can enter.

covid-19 - Ảnh 3. — Land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To is expected to become a park, including a memorial statue for people who died from the COVID-19 epidemic in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: PHUONG NHI

* More specifically, how should the landscape design around the project be both reasonable and have highlights?

- Green space in Ly Thai To should be coordinated and linked with Au Lac park, next to the People's Police monument for a peaceful life that was just inaugurated and green avenues such as Ly Thai To, Cong Hoa, An Duong Vuong, Tran Binh Trong street to form a unified landscape network.

A continuous loop electric bus route could be built here, connecting schools, parks, memorials and commercial facilities, serving the student community as well as the surrounding residents. How to get on a bus route, people can access important and necessary infrastructure around.

* In your imagination, if the function of 7 villas were converted into cultural facilities serving the people, what would it be...?

- It is a COVID-19 museum, exhibition house, community library (serving the surrounding people, not just students), book street, flower street, academic cafe (where talks are held) and community house.

Among them, the museum is an indispensable institution. Some people have suggested that a memorial wall should be built to commemorate the victims of the pandemic, but I think that is a difficult thing. Because the list of victims has not yet been fully compiled and is difficult to complete. On the other hand, looking at a wall filled with the names of the deceased causes a rather heavy feeling.

* What is in that museum?

- That is where anyone who wants to learn about the epidemic, the global situation, and developments in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City can go. This will be an open data center, applying digital technology, opening a QR code so that everyone, especially families with relatives who have died in the pandemic, can contribute information about the victims to create the most complete data possible.

The museum has a room to record the meritorious people and acts of community support. Stories about rice ATMs, soldiers going door to door to distribute food or people helping each other through fences... these are precious images that remind us of a difficult but meaningful period. Through that, we can spread the precious values in this life.

A data center can be built here to provide future lessons on medicine, society, architectural planning, urban management methods and response to future risks (natural disasters, epidemics)...

Towards a global vision

Ho Chi Minh City is now a megacity aiming towards a global city, and its vision should also be a global one. Therefore, when designing, there should be a different design mindset than war memorials or victory monuments, which are often grand and displayed on major roads.

This project should be some kind of sculpture, not need to be grand in scale, brightly lit but should be placed in a quiet campus with green space to isolate noise.

Coming here, people and tourists can calm down, listen to the birds chirping, the rustling of leaves to commemorate the deceased. This space is a bit more private and spiritual.

Architect NGO VIET NAM SON