Note the solutions to protect the original masonry

VHO - Regarding the project to preserve, renovate, restore and promote the value of the North Tower and the Middle Tower of the Chien Dan Cham Tower relic (Tam An commune, Phu Ninh district), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to direct the investor to pay attention to prioritizing solutions to protect the original masonry, not to replace the damaged bricks on the surface of the tower to avoid the phenomenon of "patching large areas".

The Office of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province informed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just sent Official Dispatch No. 5079/BVHTTDL-DSVH to the People's Committee of Quang Nam province regarding the appraisal of the Feasibility Study Report of the project to restore and preserve the North Tower and the Middle Tower of the Chien Dan Cham Tower relic. After studying, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has the following opinion: Agreeing on the Feasibility Study Report of the restoration and preservation of the North Tower and the Middle Tower of the Chien Dan Tower group, with the following contents: Restoring and reinforcing the North Tower and the Middle Tower (clearing the ground around the base of the tower; reinforcing and repositioning the original masonry blocks of the tower base; dismantling the previously reinforced masonry blocks of the tower base to rebuild; preserving the stone structure; building additional steps and steps; replacing damaged bricks on the surface of the tower (base of the 2 towers, roof of the Middle Tower).

Restore collapsed, lost or unstable locations (base of 2 towers, roof of Middle tower); add lost corner stone ears of Middle tower (in block form); restore the block shape of decorative compartments (base of 2 towers, roof of Middle tower). Restore the tower base with restored Cham bricks; preserve the entire brick surface; prevent termites, treat moss, mold, and invasive plants; renovate the roof covering of the North tower and auxiliary items serving the relic restoration construction. In particular, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to direct the investor to pay attention to the current state of architecture, decoration, technical status, and materials of the Chien Dan tower group. In the body of the tower, priority should be given to surface preservation solutions, reinforcement (hardening of brick surface), and thorough treatment of mold, lichen, and invasive plants... to protect the original masonry; do not consider replacing damaged bricks on the surface of the tower body to avoid the phenomenon of "patching large areas".

For the reinforcement and repositioning of the original masonry blocks of the tower base; restoration of collapsed and lost locations and dismantling of the previously reinforced tower base blocks for rebuilding, note: Protect the original masonry blocks in their original state. Only build local restoration at locations where the surface has collapsed or is deeply concave in block form based on the current status of each location; Only build additional blocks in the top of the tower body (adjacent to the collapsed and disconnected tower roof). Calculate and clarify the risks of impact on the old structure of the building when dismantling all previously reinforced masonry blocks to have a solution to support the original masonry blocks, dismantling the reinforced masonry blocks to ensure safety. This solution also needs to consider ensuring aesthetics, suitability, and reference to the reinforcement of some other Cham tower works. For the restoration of the block shape of the decorative compartments (base of the 2 towers, roof of the Middle tower), only build in block form to ensure connection and stability of the old and new masonry blocks, do not restore details.

Promptly notify the competent authorities when new problems arise during the process of reinforcement and enhancement before implementing the next tasks. Regarding the dossier, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requests to supplement the scientific basis for repositioning the stone pillars, thresholds and steps (as proposed in the project description) and evaluate the results of the South Tower restoration project to consolidate the practical basis for a number of solutions agreed upon in this Tower Restoration Project. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requests the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to direct relevant agencies to complete the dossier, publicize the content of restoration and conservation of the relic to the people and implement the next steps according to current regulations.

Previously, Van Hoa reported that in September 2024, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province issued Official Dispatch No. 7415/UBND-KTN requesting the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to appraise the Feasibility Study Report of the project to preserve, restore, restore and promote the value of the North Tower and the Middle Tower of the Chien Dan Cham Tower relic. The project has a total investment of more than 16.77 billion VND from the provincial budget, with an implementation period of 2023-2025, aiming to restore and stabilize the structures of the relic in the long term; contributing to the preservation and promotion of the value of national relics.

The proposed contents and items include: Exposing the ground, collecting scattered artifacts around the 2-meter-wide tower base; dismantling previously reinforced masonry blocks using old bricks, built with cement mortar, classifying and preserving, and preliminary preservation treatment of sandstone structures.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/luu-y-cac-giai-phap-bao-ve-nguyen-trang-khoi-xay-goc-113347.html