Concerns about 'exceptionally rare' villas being converted

In recent days, public opinion in Da Nang City has been filled with suggestions to consider the decision to relocate the French colonial villa (at 1 Pasteur, Hai Chau Ward) to serve as the headquarters of a unit that could potentially change the function of this relic.

On October 28, Mr. Ho Ky Minh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City, signed a document agreeing on the policy of arranging the house and land at No. 1 Pasteur (land area 2,013 m2; house area 2,159 m2) as the headquarters of the Women's Union of Da Nang City to serve as the working headquarters of Hai Chau Ward Police. Mr. Minh requested relevant parties to review the house and land at No. 1 Pasteur and report to the People's Committee of Da Nang City to carry out procedures according to regulations.

Among about 10 works bearing the French mark, the villa at 1 Pasteur (Hai Chau Ward) is the work with many special values.

PHOTO: SX

Before this decision, many opinions suggested that the Da Nang City government should reconsider because the No. 1 Pasteur project is a villa built during the French colonial period, there will be many units exploiting the function more appropriately. According to Thanh Nien reporter's investigation, the Da Nang City Women's Union, which is using the land and house No. 1 Pasteur, also commented. Specifically, the headquarters of the City Women's Union was taken over by generations of senior female cadres right after the liberation of Quang Nam - Da Nang (March 29, 1975). Also according to the Standing Committee of the Da Nang City Women's Union, the villa is a place of work, attachment, and dedication that generations of Union cadres want to preserve.

The Women's Union of Da Nang City wishes to continue using the No. 1 Pasteur building as its office.

In June 2025, during the review of public real estate, the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum also sent an official dispatch to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the city asking to arrange villa No. 1 Pasteur as the museum headquarters combined with a place to exhibit paintings and art photos for the city.

People's Artist Huynh Hung, former Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang City, said that in the city, there are only a few rare architectural and artistic relics from the French colonial period. These relics contribute to preserving the cultural and historical memories of the homeland and also have the ability to attract visitors and tourists . Among them, Villa No. 1 Pasteur is a construction that meets the conditions to be recognized as a historical relic at the city level, similar to the Museum of Cham Sculpture. "I think that this rare remaining architectural and artistic work from the French colonial period should continue to be arranged for the Women's Union or for the cultural sector, which is more appropriate than arranging it for government agencies. As someone who has worked in the cultural field for many years, I earnestly request that the city's leaders review the above decision," People's Artist Huynh Hung emphasized.

DO N'T REVERSE THE NATURE OF THE VALUE OF THE PROJECT

According to Dr. Architect Le Minh Son, Head of the Faculty of Architecture (University of Technology, University of Danang), Villa No. 1 Pasteur was originally owned by a civil servant during the French colonial period. This project, according to Mr. Son, is one of the rare special projects built during the French colonial period in Vietnam, because the Art Deco style at that time was only for investors with innovative and reformist ideas in an environment dominated by the neoclassical architectural genre. The floor plan is arranged symmetrically and stylized, combining square, rectangular and semi-cylindrical shapes. The facade with soft, tapered round columns replaces the previous relatively heavy square form. In addition, decorative motifs made of bent steel or embossed with cement and plaster with gentle lines give the project a lively appearance despite the completely symmetrical facade.

Inside the villa

According to Mr. Son, in recent years this building has been widely known as the headquarters of the Women's Union of Da Nang City. This use creates a special urbanism because the building operates as an open social address, not closed from the street. Therefore, the history of the building has an implicit consistency that few people notice. In the early stages, this was the residence of the authorities but not a closed fortress. In the recent stage, it is a social address for women in Da Nang, also in an open state. The red thread running through it is that the building always exists in a public visual relationship with the community.

Villa No. 1 Pasteur has been renovated and repainted many times but still retains the typical architecture of the French colonial period.

Mr. Son said that converting this building into a ward police headquarters is a completely opposite move to the nature of the building's value. Security functions may be required based on the principle of access control and closure. When the closure occurs, the urban value of this building disappears immediately without having to be demolished. "Heritage is not only lost when it is destroyed. Heritage is lost when city residents no longer have the ability to see and read history through real objects," he said.

"For the above reasons, I officially recommend not to convert Villa No. 1 Pasteur into a ward police headquarters. The optimal solution in the current context of Da Nang is to put the project into the role of knowledge infrastructure through the Art Deco Da Nang Lab model. This is an effective conservation solution and also a solution to establish the urban architectural identity in a transparent and sustainable manner," Dr. Le Minh Son proposed.

PROPOSAL TO CONSIDER ARRANGEMENT OF VILLAS TO SERVE CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

Regarding the villa, on November 3, Mr. Tran Phuoc Son, Standing Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Da Nang City, said that he had sent a document requesting the City People's Committee to direct departments and branches to clarify the suitability of the use function, scale, and architecture of the house and land at No. 1 Pasteur when arranging it as the working headquarters of Hai Chau Ward Police to ensure regulations and responsibilities in the management and use of valuable architectural works. Notably, the People's Council of Da Nang City proposed that the City People's Committee should prioritize considering arranging this location to serve the cultural sector. Also according to the People's Council of Da Nang City, the house and land at No. 1 Pasteur is a French architectural work that has been identified by the City People's Committee as a valuable architectural work of the City in Decision 63 dated December 28, 2023 on promulgating the Regulations on management of architecture of the City.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lo-ngai-biet-thu-dac-biet-hiem-bi-chuyen-doi-cong-nang-185251103224408437.htm