Once one of the most bustling areas in the early 19th century Hue Imperial City, Gia Hoi Old Town is now facing many challenges in the process of urbanization. Preserving and promoting the value of the old town to make it "a Hoi An" in the heart of Hue city is a priority for both the government and the people.
A golden age
The Gia Hoi Old Quarter - Dinh Market, located east of the Hue Imperial Citadel, was the most bustling area in Hue in the early 19th century. It was home to numerous mansions, temples, and shrines of the Vietnamese people, along with assembly halls of the Chinese community, creating a unique architectural landscape. Besides traditional architectural heritage, there are also intangible and non-tangible heritages such as traditional festivals, traditional crafts, and traditional art performances, all representative of the life of the ancient urban area next to the imperial citadel.
Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh was once a major commercial center of the Hue Imperial City under the Nguyen Dynasty, thanks to its favorable location "close to the capital, close to the market, and close to the river".
According to researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa, former Director of the Department of Culture and Information of Thua Thien Hue province, the process of population accumulation included a significant number of noble royal families, in the context of Chinese merchants from the Thanh Ha - Bao Vinh trading port gradually moving to the Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh area to get closer to the capital. Towards the end of Minh Mang's reign, the king ordered the renovation of the Gia Hoi area to both prevent fires and upgrade the key commercial area of the capital; focusing on building a new Cho Duoc area, forming three commercial streets with a scale of 637 brick-built houses with tiled roofs, and adding brick railings along the Dong Ba River. The Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh area during Minh Mang's reign took on a more imposing appearance.
Researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa stated that the ancient urban area of Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh is truly a unique heritage site, possessing the cultural structure of an ancient urban region, existing within a constantly changing community, pressured by modern urbanization, and lacking appropriate conservation and development guidelines. As a result, over time, it has been distorted, posing a risk of the historical and cultural architectural space of this area being destroyed, and its cultural and tourism resources are being wasted in a very regrettable way.
To make Gia Hoi into a "Hoi An" of Hue.
Compared to Hoi An Ancient Town, Gia Hoi Ancient Town is equally beautiful, boasting unique architectural structures and rich cultural and historical values. According to statistics, Gia Hoi Ancient Town currently has approximately 83 architectural structures, including mansions and residences of Nguyen Dynasty officials, religious buildings, and ancient traditional houses. However, this heritage system is currently deteriorating to varying degrees. The town has gradually lost its ancient charm due to the impacts of urbanization, the harsh weather of Hue, and other factors.
According to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province, Gia Hoi ancient town is a land rich in historical and cultural relics of various types such as mansions, assembly halls, temples, village communal houses, ancient houses, ancestral halls, etc. Among them are famous relics such as Dieu De National Temple, The Lai Thuong communal house and temple, Chinese assembly halls, and many mansions of princes and princesses.
In addition, the area is famous for its intangible heritage such as traditional festivals, family crafts, and diverse culinary arts… Yet, this region is still considered quiet, tranquil, and has seen little change or development.
"How to enhance the value of Gia Hoi as an ancient town is a big question and a concern for many people. Years ago, the local government was determined to preserve and promote the Gia Hoi ancient town with the hope of transforming it into a Hoi An of Hue, but it was unsuccessful," Mr. Hai shared.
According to Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Hue City has been implementing the city's general plan, the Hue City urban development plan, and the plan for preserving and restoring the Hue Imperial Citadel complex... therefore, attention should be paid to implementing the detailed plan for the Gia Hoi area. This is the first step, and it is crucial for development in the right direction and for sustainable growth.
“Most of Gia Hoi's heritage belongs to the community, to the people. Therefore, there needs to be a change in perception in the approach to using heritage for development purposes. In this respect, the people of Gia Hoi in particular and Hue in general need to learn from the people of Hoi An. They need to learn the skills of using and promoting heritage, and the skills of providing services so that Gia Hoi can become a service center catering to the diverse needs of tourists,” Mr. Hai added.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/hoi-sinh-pho-co-gia-hoi-10299998.html
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