Removing obstacles for ranked historical sites in Ho Chi Minh City.

Pointing to the wall where the certificate ranking Tan Dinh Market as a historical monument, recently awarded to the Tan Dinh Market (Ho Chi Minh City), hangs, Deputy Head of the Tan Dinh Market Management Board, Quach Khanh Du, confided: "We are very happy and proud, but also very worried because this building is nearly 100 years old and is deteriorating, needing urgent repairs. However, since it has been ranked as a historical monument, we have to comply with many legal regulations, so we are facing financial constraints and have to wait for guidance, while Tan Dinh Market has never undergone any large-scale repairs before. The last time the floor was tiled was…more than 20 years ago."

Gỡ vướng cho di tích được xếp hạng của TP.HCM- Ảnh 1. — Trung Vuong High School...

Gỡ vướng cho di tích được xếp hạng của TP.HCM- Ảnh 2. — ...and Tan Dinh Market has just been honored with the ranking of an architectural and artistic heritage site of Ho Chi Minh City.

To prove his point, Mr. Du took the Thanh Niên reporter on a tour of the entire market. Everywhere he went, he pointed out many places where the corrugated iron roofs were rotting, and the walls were stained and peeling. The paint had never been replaced. "Look, if you walk across to Hai Bà Trưng street and turn back towards the market's facade, you'll see a lot of rotting corrugated iron roofing, but it can't be repaired yet. If we want to invest in repairs, we have to wait for instructions; the procedures require surveys, inviting consulting firms… it's not easy," Mr. Du sighed.

Visiting Trung Vuong High School (District 1) – a historical site recently ranked alongside Tan Dinh Market, Mariamman Temple, An Khanh Temple, Long Binh Temple, Long Hoa Temple (Thu Duc City), and Saigon University (District 5) – we met Vice Principal Luong Bich Nga. She said the school had just held a ceremony to receive the ranking certificate and had informed parents to share in the joy, and had also received many requests from tourists to visit. However, after the joy came…worry. “We have a plan to build a multi-functional complex, approved by the Department of Construction, worth nearly 100 billion VND, which was about to be publicly listed, but now we have to stop, waiting for the approval of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City before we can proceed. Meanwhile, some facilities at the school are seriously deteriorating,” Ms. Nga said, pointing to a room with many long cracks running down the wall. "Other areas are even more severely affected, but we don't know what to do yet, because major repairs require permission," Ms. Nga added.

Gỡ vướng cho di tích được xếp hạng của TP.HCM- Ảnh 3. — The facade architecture of Tan Dinh Market is deteriorating.

We will invest systematically in the historical site.

Bringing the aforementioned concerns and sentiments to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, a reporter from Thanh Nien newspaper received much positive information from Mr. Nguyen Minh Nhut, Deputy Director of the Department. "Perhaps, due to outdated thinking, some units are still worried, but with the upcoming amendment to the Heritage Law, these obstacles will gradually be resolved. The State always allocates resources for public investment in each stage and has a cultural development strategy. Furthermore, in recent times, socialized resources participating in the restoration and preservation of historical and architectural monuments have accounted for a significant proportion. The ranked monuments will be digitized and stored in various forms for easy public access, and this will open up a mechanism for the unprecedented reconstruction of many important historical monuments…," Mr. Nhut emphasized.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has 200 historical and cultural relics and sites that have been classified; including 2 special national relics (historical relics); 58 national relics (including 2 archaeological relics, 32 architectural and artistic relics, and 24 historical relics); 140 city-level relics (86 architectural and artistic relics and 54 historical relics); and 79 historical relics related to the struggle for national liberation and reunification.

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports recently received a document requesting the ranking of 7 works and sites, including: Giong Chua Mountain (Can Gio District), Vo Tien Su (Binh Thanh District), My Hoa Temple, Tan Thoi Trung Temple, Thoi Tam Dong Temple, Tan Thoi Tam Temple (Hoc Mon District), and Saigon Zoo. "This demonstrates the awareness and responsibility towards heritage of individuals and management units. Because heritage does not belong to anyone or the state, but to all the people. Many works in the city have value of global significance, so the community needs to work together to promote the value of heritage and preserve it for future generations," Mr. Nhut affirmed.

On the morning of May 6th, a reporter from Thanh Nien newspaper was also invited to attend a very intense working session between the leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports and the Center for Conservation and Promotion of Historical and Cultural Relics of Ho Chi Minh City. The Department instructed the center to complete the necessary documentation in the coming period to submit to the City People's Council for approval of eight new relics for early classification: the Red Areca Garden Memorial Area (District 12), the Fragrant Garden Base (Binh Chanh District), Tan Phuoc communal house (Tan Binh District), Binh Nhan communal house (Hoc Mon District), Phu An communal house (Binh Thanh District), Go Queo ancient tomb (Thu Duc City), Truong family church (Go Vap District), and Ernst Thälmann High School (District 1).

CREATING CONDITIONS FOR CONSERVATION TO GO HAND IN HAND WITH DEVELOPMENT

Not only is the number of ranked historical sites increasing, but the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports is also continuing to promote awareness among management units and owners of these sites about the importance and benefits of being ranked. We are not making things difficult or easy, but simply doing what is right. We are creating the most favorable conditions to ensure that preservation goes hand in hand with development. Based on new research and discoveries, the Department is finalizing dossiers to propose upgrading historical sites from national level to special national level, from city-level to national level, and adding many new ranked sites in preparation for the first Vietnam Heritage Day of the city to be held in November this year.

We will invest systematically in the historical site.

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