What will happen to the old French villa at 26 Le Loi, Hue?

Having been invited to survey and plan to move the old French villa on the banks of the Perfume River since 2022, but until now it has not been possible to do so, making 'genie' Nguyen Van Cu still feel pain in his heart.

The old French villa at 26 Le Loi, Thuan Hoa ward, Hue city - Photo: NHAT LINH

The ancient French villa at 26 Le Loi, Thuan Hoa ward, Hue city was expected not to be demolished in the context of many French architectures in Hue gradually disappearing over time.

The plan to invite the "genie" Nguyen Van Cu - who has moved many giant structures - to Hue to move the villa to another place has been considered. This is to preserve the integrity of the rare ancient structure remaining on one of the most beautiful streets in Hue.

However, after 3 years, the relocation of this project has not been carried out. Why?

Still standing still after 3 years

In 2022, the People's Committee of the former Thua Thien Hue province intends to invite "genie" Nguyen Van Cu from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue to move the ancient French villa on the banks of the Huong River to another place, reserving the prime land here to develop tourism services.

This villa used to be the headquarters of the Thua Thien Hue Literature and Arts Association, and once caused a stir in Hue public opinion because it was not included in the list of 27 typical French architectural works established by the Department of Construction of the former Thua Thien Hue province.

Many people believe that the villa's absence from the list of French architectural works mentioned above is to facilitate its demolition.

By 2022, the leaders of the former Thua Thien Hue province said they would not demolish the above villa but would plan to relocate it to another location while maintaining the current status of the building.

"Genie" Nguyen Van Cu - the person who moved the main hall of Dieu De Pagoda and many other giant structures - was invited to come up with a relocation plan.

For the past 3 years, the ancient villa along the Huong River has not been relocated and has fallen into a state of desolation and disrepair - Photo: NHAT LINH

However, more than 3 years have passed, this villa still lies in the same place, locked and silent. Outside, many walls are peeling, degraded, some brick pillars are broken and damaged by time. The villa grounds are abandoned, garbage piled up and become a place for street vendors.

Standing outside the gate of the villa, Mr. Phan Phu (tourist) expressed regret when witnessing the deterioration of this hundred-year-old villa.

"If only this were a museum displaying and introducing Hue's tourism products or traditional crafts so that tourists could visit and take pictures, how great would that be," said Mr. Phu.

Serious degradation

Referring to the villa at 26 Le Loi, "genie" Nguyen Van Cu said that it has always been a pain in his heart. As a son of Hue, Mr. Cu said he really wants to contribute to preserving the heritage of the ancient capital.

Inside the villa, many walls are peeling and dilapidated, and is a place for street vendors to park their vehicles - Photo: NHAT LINH

In 2022, after being invited to survey the relocation of the villa to nearby Pham Hong Thai Street, Mr. Cu affirmed that he could move the villa to a new location while still ensuring the safety of the project.

"I have made a specific plan for the relocation in 14 steps, with an implementation time of about 4 months, and a total cost of about 2.5 billion VND. However, after that meeting, for the past 3 years, I have not received any contact information about the relocation from the Hue City government," said Mr. Cu.

Mr. Tran Huu Thuy Giang, Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Committee, said that according to the assessment of professional agencies, the above-mentioned ancient villa is seriously degraded, many items are no longer able to withstand the load if relocated.

A section of brick wall at the staircase leading to the villa is broken and damaged by time, rain and sun - Photo: NHAT LINH

Specifically, the Construction Quality Assessment Center under the Department of Construction of Hue City had a report determining that the structure of the villa was degraded, the structural system was a mixture of bricks, stones, steel, and reinforced concrete, and the relocation of the structure was ineffective in terms of load-bearing safety.

According to Mr. Giang, another option the city is considering is to keep the villa in its old location.

The reason is that there is an investor who wants to build a 5-star hotel and service complex at this location and they request to keep the villa within the hotel premises as a special architectural - cultural - landscape value.

"To ensure the safety of the project, we are also checking and re-evaluating to have the best solution," said Mr. Giang.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngoi-biet-thu-phap-co-o-26-le-loi-hue-se-ra-sao-20251129144222782.htm