Restoring the Bridge Pagoda - systematic and scientific approach.
From the outset, the restoration of the Japanese Bridge faced controversy with two opposing viewpoints on whether the bridge's deck should be curved or straight. The project even had to be temporarily halted to gather opinions from the public and relevant parties.
The result is that the floor of the Bridge Pagoda remains curved, even though it was straight from 1915 to 1986. However, from 1986 to the present, it has a curved shape (there is no clear documentation on whether it was curved or straight before 1915). Notably, the storm intensified when the protective structure was dismantled, revealing a Bridge Pagoda with a fresh, vibrant appearance.
Undergoing numerous renovations
The Japanese Bridge (or Lai Vien Bridge), also known as the Bridge of Bridges, is 20.4m long, 13m wide, and 5.7m high. Its layout is in the shape of the Chinese character "ding" (丁), with a covered bridge to the south connecting to the main traffic artery of the Old Quarter, and a temple to the north dedicated to the deity Tran Vu (Huyen Thien Dai De), who is believed to control floods. Both the bridge and the temple have a wooden frame structure, a tiled roof, thick wooden planks, and stone pillars.
With its outstanding architectural, artistic, and cultural values, the Japanese Bridge (Chua Cau) was listed as a national monument by the French School of Far Eastern Studies (École Française d'Extrême-Orient) in the early decades of the 20th century, along with two other monuments in Hoi An: the Ba Mu - Ong Chu Pagoda and the Trieu Chau Assembly Hall. Images of the Japanese Bridge were also printed on postcards during the French colonial period.
According to documents from the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Center, from its construction to the present day, although preserved intact by the Hoi An community, historical records indicate that the Japanese Bridge has undergone at least 7 major renovations in the years 1763, 1817, 1875, 1917, 1962, 1986, and 1996.
During the French colonial period, the Bridge Pagoda was renovated by the government and the local community. The renovation process is recorded in three stone steles and the remaining beams at the site. During the Republic of Vietnam government, around 1962, the Bridge Pagoda was renovated, with the replacement and reinforcement of decaying components.
The first restoration of the Japanese Bridge in 1986 was carried out from August to October by the Ministry of Culture (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in coordination with the People's Committee of Hoi An town (now the People's Committee of Hoi An city). The restoration included repairing the roof and restoring the bridge deck to its current state. In the year of the Rat (1996), the Japanese Bridge was further restored by the People's Committee of Hoi An town (now the People's Committee of Hoi An city). The restoration included rebuilding half of the western pillar and casting the northern wall beam.
On July 24, 1999, a consultative conference on the restoration of the Japanese Bridge was held, attracting the attention of many experts in architectural heritage research and preservation in the country. For more than a decade afterward, issues related to the rescue and restoration of the Japanese Bridge were continuously discussed. However, due to concerns that the restoration would make the Japanese Bridge look "new and young"; and the lack of a suitable solution for restoring such an iconic and valuable structure, the restoration work for a long time only focused on reinforcing and supporting the structure to prevent its collapse.
In 2016, due to the increasingly serious deterioration of the Japanese Bridge, an international conference on its restoration was held, attended by many leading scientists and experts on the restoration of wooden architectural relics from Vietnam and Japan. While the conference did not provide solutions to specific problems, it reached a consensus that the Japanese Bridge urgently needed a comprehensive restoration project aimed at preserving its historical value in its entirety and for the long term.
Since then, preparations for the restoration of the Bridge Pagoda have been intensified in many aspects, including research on history, culture, architecture, and art; surveying and archaeological assessment of the technical condition and original traces; drawing and digitizing the architecture; determining the viewpoints, principles, and solutions for restoration; consulting experts; organizing the preparation, agreement, and approval of documents, etc.
On December 28, 2022, the Japanese Bridge (Chua Cau) began its restoration project with an estimated total cost of approximately 20 billion VND, funded by the People's Committee of Hoi An City. After more than 19 months of construction, the restoration project of the Japanese Bridge (Hoi An City) was completed.
Strict adherence to restoration procedures.
Architect Dang Khanh Ngoc – Director of the Institute of Conservation of Monuments (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), from a professional perspective, believes that the most important issue of the project is not the intensity of the exterior colors, but whether the restoration process of the Bridge Pagoda is carried out properly.
And this process was quite systematic and thorough, especially in the preparation of documents and materials, consultation with experts and researchers, and the organization of document review… In fact, from the very beginning, Japanese experts participated in surveying and assessing the current state, techniques, original traces, and restoration documents of the Bridge Pagoda. Furthermore, it underwent a lengthy approval process by many specialized management agencies, so it can be affirmed that the restoration approach and solutions are sound.
The regulations of the Law on Cultural Heritage emphasize that the core requirement of monument restoration is to preserve the original elements of the structure as much as possible. However, what constitutes the original elements? What will the restoration results be?... must be based on documentation and expert opinions, including the level of expertise and perspective of the evaluator.
According to the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, the fundamental principle in the restoration of the Japanese Bridge is to simultaneously preserve its value and maintain its function. Therefore, in addition to proposing solutions to preserve the characteristics and values of the monument, the intervention solutions are all aimed at ensuring increased stability and long-term sustainability for the Japanese Bridge, maintaining the integrity of the functions of each constituent component (pagoda, bridge) of the monument.
The restoration process has thoroughly resolved structural issues, ensuring the long-term stability of the monument; eliminating elements that were harmful to the wooden frame, the basic structure of the Bridge Pagoda, and the load-bearing foundation system and protective embankment, ensuring the overall stability of the structure.
In addition, further research is needed on solutions to strengthen the structure in a way that minimizes and isolates vibrations caused by traffic, preventing negative impacts on the stability of the monument while preserving as many ancient and old components and structures as possible.
If replacement is absolutely necessary, use materials that are similar to the original material.
In particular, the newly replaced parts should be made public, clearly revealing the restoration perspective and techniques, allowing them to naturally absorb the patina of time without being forced. Maximum reuse of roof tiles and decorative masonry on the roof is also important, as these are witnesses to time and previous restoration efforts.
Architect Dang Khanh Ngoc believes that strengthening the Bridge Pagoda's durability under the current conditions of receiving a large number of visitors is a permissible reinforcement method because it is located underneath and does not alter the Bridge Pagoda's appearance.
"With the current level of technology and engineering, no historical site is beyond restoration. Therefore, the most difficult issue in restoring the Bridge Pagoda, as well as any historical site, is not the technical solution but rather reaching a consensus on how to view and interpret it," Mr. Ngoc further shared.
A "workshop" for restoring historical monuments.
The restoration and preservation of historical relics in Hoi An over the years has become an integral part of daily life, helping the system of relics in this ancient city to endure over time.
"Breathing life" into historical sites.
The gate of Ba Mu Pagoda is part of the Cam Ha Palace – Hai Binh Palace complex, considered one of the most representative and important architectural works of ancient Hoi An, built by the Minh Huong community in Hoi An. In 1930, the French Far East Institute of Archaeology included this site in its list of classified historical relics, recognizing it as a top architectural work in Quang Nam along with two other relics in Hoi An: the Japanese Bridge and the Trieu Chau Assembly Hall. However, due to the vicissitudes of time, the site is almost in ruins, with only the entrance gate remaining.
At the end of 2018, the Ba Mu Pagoda Gate – part of the project to urgently preserve and restore relics at risk of collapse in Hoi An Ancient Town – was inaugurated. After more than five years of operation, this relic has become a new highlight of the ancient town, attracting numerous tourists who visit, admire, and highly appreciate its restored architecture. Recently, several important cultural and tourism events have also been organized by Hoi An city at this site, such as welcoming the first international delegation of 2024, a violin performance by Maestro Vilmos Oláh (Hungary), and a performance of "Hoi An - The Colors of Silk"...
This is just one example of how historical sites in Hoi An have been restored to ensure authenticity, while also enhancing their value and gaining public acceptance. Several other sites have been restored in recent years and are gradually becoming more popular destinations for tourists to visit and learn about than before, such as: Hoi An communal house (Ong Voi communal house), Hoi An prison, the Cao Hong Lanh memorial house (Tran Phu street), Hai Tang pagoda, the ancestral shrine of the swiftlet farming profession… and many ancient houses in Zone I of Hoi An Old Town.
Currently, Hoi An city has 1,439 relics belonging to all four categories according to the Law on Cultural Heritage and related decrees and circulars. Besides the Old Town, which is classified as a special national relic, among the 1,439 relics listed, there are 27 national relics, 49 provincial relics, and 104 relics included in the Quang Nam province's protection list for the period 2019-2024.
In fact, some of the restoration projects in Hoi An have been awarded prizes by UNESCO Asia-Pacific, such as: the "Award of Merit" for the Truong clan church for cultural preservation in 2004; the "Award of Honor" for the Tang clan church for cultural preservation in 2009…
Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoi An City, said that the system of historical relics has long been recognized by Hoi An City as a valuable resource to promote tourism development, not only within the ancient town but also extending to and connecting to the suburban areas. Based on this system of relics, Hoi An always prioritizes preservation for development, and development to create momentum for preservation.
Multipurpose restoration
In reality, restoring historical sites in Hoi An is not easy. The restoration requires the use of traditional materials, but wood is currently scarce due to deforestation policies. Replacement roof tiles cannot be produced using traditional techniques due to environmental protection requirements…
A typical example is the construction of the gate of Ba Mu Pagoda. Among the traditional building materials used to restore this monument, many are quite rare on the market and had to be sourced from other areas within the province or other provinces. The manufacturing process of these materials was also quite complex, requiring manual labor and numerous steps.
Another challenge is that while restoration requires preserving the original elements as much as possible, the owner of the monument wants to replace components, or more specifically, opt for a patchwork solution; the owner also wants to replace the paving materials, mortar, etc., during restoration compared to the existing structure.
Mr. Pham Phu Ngoc, Director of the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Center, said: “For a long time, all relics in Hoi An have been inventoried, assessed, and classified for conservation with 5 ranking levels. Each level of relic has different regulations and repair procedures. For special and type I relics, when carrying out restoration, the Center must be the main investor. This aims to strictly manage and preserve the original elements as much as possible, rather than simply providing financial support for private individuals to carry out repairs.”
Over the years, using budget funds, Hoi An has invested in the restoration and preservation of more than 20 architectural, artistic, and religious relics related to the history of traditional crafts and villages in the area, many of which are privately or collectively owned. Through restoration, many relics have been effectively utilized, serving both the cultural and religious needs of the community and as interesting tourist attractions on their journey to experience the craft villages and rural life in Hoi An.
Ms. Pham Thanh Huong, Head of the Culture Department at the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, stated that the coordination between the state and the owners in protecting and restoring relics in Hoi An is considered a prime example of heritage restoration. Hoi An has implemented this very well in its development approach, using relics and heritage as both resources and conservation goals. As a result, when people think of heritage tourism brands, they often immediately think of Hoi An.
Waiting for the Quang Nam Heritage Conservation Fund
Each year, a considerable amount of resources is allocated to the conservation and restoration of historical sites in Quang Nam, however, with the current state budget allocation, it is difficult to meet all the requirements…
The establishment of the Quang Nam Heritage Conservation Fund is expected to create a legal framework, attract more resources outside the state budget, and help effectively implement projects to restore and renovate dilapidated historical sites in the province, especially the two World Heritage sites: Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary.
Proactive
In 2004, the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board (Duy Phu commune, Duy Xuyen district) established the My Son Restoration and Development Fund. Annually, the unit allocates 25% of ticket sales (according to Government Decree 60) to the fund to carry out infrastructure construction, minor repairs, restoration, and preservation of the relics.
After 20 years of implementation, the My Son Restoration and Development Fund has yielded quite noticeable results. Many small-scale restoration and renovation projects, such as locating architectural components, reinforcing surrounding walls, arranging artifacts, and cleaning tower walls, have been proactively and promptly carried out by the relevant units. In particular, the matching funds for large-scale restoration projects have been provided quickly and conveniently. In just the five years of implementing the project to preserve the H, K, and A tower groups (2017-2022), the total amount of matching funds allocated from the My Son Restoration and Development Fund was approximately 5 billion VND.
As of early July 2024, Quang Nam province has 458 classified historical sites, including 4 special national sites, 67 national sites, and 387 provincial sites. Many of these sites are deteriorating and require urgent annual restoration, especially within the Hoi An and My Son World Heritage sites.
Therefore, the resource requirements for conservation are enormous. In the ancient town of Hoi An, although approximately 50% - 70% of the revenue from entrance fees is allocated each year for the restoration and preservation of historical sites, and to support the reconstruction of collective and private relics, this seems insignificant because the restoration costs are quite high (at least around 5 billion VND), so only enough resources are available to restore 7 - 10 ancient houses each year.
Statistics show that Hoi An still has about 150 dilapidated historical sites that need support, of which more than 20 are at risk of collapsing at any time, especially during the rainy and stormy season.
Urgent need to establish a Quang Nam Heritage Conservation Fund.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated that, in addition to achievements, the work of preserving historical relics still faces many limitations and difficulties related to state regulations such as the authority, procedures, and processes for establishing and approving plans and projects for the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of historical and cultural relics and scenic spots.
Furthermore, due to frequent impacts from natural disasters, storms, and floods, the system of historical sites in the province always faces the risk of damage and degradation, especially those within the world cultural heritage area.
The state budget allocated annually for the restoration of historical sites is insufficient to meet the requirements. Therefore, the establishment of the Quang Nam Heritage Conservation Fund will create a mechanism and legal basis for mobilizing, managing, and utilizing funds for the preservation and restoration of historical sites, especially the two World Heritage sites of Hoi An and My Son.
This issue has been proposed by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in numerous documents and meetings at both the provincial and central levels. “The establishment of the Quang Nam Heritage Conservation Fund was proposed by the provincial leadership to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh two years ago during the Prime Minister's working visit to Quang Nam (late March 2022). The Prime Minister also agreed in principle and assigned relevant ministries and agencies to consider it. However, the Ministry of Finance stated that they must wait for a summary and evaluation from the Thua Thien Hue province's Heritage Conservation Fund (regarding legal basis, operation, etc.) to learn from experience before expanding the program; therefore, Quang Nam has to wait,” Mr. Hong said.
In early July 2024, during a working session with the Survey Team on the implementation of policies and laws on cultural heritage of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education, the establishment of the Quang Nam Heritage Preservation Fund was also mentioned again.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong affirmed that the establishment of the Quang Nam Heritage Conservation Fund is absolutely necessary to help mobilize social resources to contribute to heritage conservation more easily and promptly.
"Currently, if social resources are contributed, there's no clear place to allocate them. If they're put into the state budget, withdrawing them requires strict regulations and procedures, making the process very difficult. Therefore, establishing the Quang Nam Heritage Conservation Fund with a clear legal basis, a management board, specific operating regulations, and transparent public finances will help mobilize social resources more effectively, and the procedures for allocating funds for restoration and preservation of heritage sites will be quicker and easier," Mr. Hong analyzed.
The role of media in conservation projects
The story of the Bridge Pagoda becoming "unfamiliar" after its restoration is currently a hot topic in both mainstream media and social networks. Many emotions stem from those genuinely concerned about the Bridge Pagoda, while others are simply "following the trend" to create a buzz on social media.
Following this, I've seen many things, both good and bad. But for those involved in the restoration of historical sites in Hoi An in particular, and for future projects to preserve and restore tangible cultural heritage in Vietnam in general, communication is an important aspect of these projects.
Transparency in the restoration process
Many comments on articles about the restoration of the Japanese Bridge published in newspapers and on social media suggest that the project should have been widely publicized, from the scale of investment, implementation time, construction unit… to the selection of methods, principles and techniques of restoration and the team of experts and craftsmen… involved in the restoration process. If this had been done, the public would have known more clearly and would not have been so surprised when, after nearly two years of concealing the structure for restoration, the protective covering was removed, revealing a "completely unfamiliar Japanese Bridge" in their eyes.
In fact, the authorities in Hoi An have published pamphlets introducing the Japanese Bridge restoration project with a wealth of detailed and eye-catching information, images, and technical drawings. However, for some reason, the information in the pamphlets is little known to the public, while the public has had few opportunities to visit the site and learn about the restoration process.
There's a story about the "transparency" of information during the restoration of Huu Tung Pagoda (within the Minh Mang Mausoleum) in Hue. This project received 6 million yen in funding from the Toyota Foundation (Japan) for restoration. Simultaneously, Japan also sent a team of experts led by Professor Shigeeda Yutaka (a wood conservation expert from Nihon University) to Hue to assist the construction team at the Hue Imperial Citadel Conservation Center in restoring the pagoda.
During the restoration process, which lasted from 1996 to 1998, a team of Japanese experts suggested that the Hue Ancient Citadel Conservation Center remove the signs that read "Construction in progress. No trespassing" and replace them with signs that read "Restoration in progress. Visitors are welcome."
Professor Shigeeda Yutaka, in an interview in August 1996, right when the restoration of Huu Tung Pagoda had just begun, said: “First of all, we hope that visitors to the Minh Mang Mausoleum can visit the restoration site of Huu Tung Pagoda. We will erect panels clearly stating the purpose, process, and main issues of the restoration so that visitors can understand the work we are doing. We hope that, if possible, the Hue Imperial City Conservation Center will organize a presentation on these issues for visitors every Saturday. In the meantime, we are ready to send experts to explain the restoration issues and the methods chosen for restoration whenever domestic and foreign experts come here to learn.”
Throughout the two years of restoration, the Japanese expert team and the construction crew did a good job of "communicating" about the restoration process of Huu Tung Pagoda, as suggested by Professor Shigeeda Yutaka.
Reopening of the restoration site.
During my studies in cultural heritage preservation in Japan and South Korea from 1997 to 1999, I had the opportunity to visit and learn the ropes at restoration sites in Matsue, Izumo, Nara, Iwami Ginzan… (Japan) and Gyongbokgung, Kyongju… (South Korea). I observed that these places opened their restoration sites to the public for visits and exploration.
At these locations, they assign staff to work in the project's PR (public relations) department to welcome tourists/locals who come to visit and learn about the project. In addition to their native language, these staff members are also fluent in English to introduce, present, and answer visitors' questions.
They arranged separate, convenient pathways for visitors to tour the restoration site; they issued visitor cards and safety helmets for visitors to wear when entering the site, minimizing the risk of accidental falls or being hit by falling restoration materials. These were very valuable experiences that I had.
Returning to the case of the restoration of the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An, the Hoi An City government and the Project Management Board should continue to widely disseminate information about the restoration process to the public as much as possible, through various forms and means: news reports in newspapers, radio, television, the website of the Center for Cultural Heritage Conservation Management, the Department of Culture and Information, the Department of Tourism, the People's Committee of Hoi An City; on social media, etc., so that the public and tourists can better understand the restoration process and the results achieved.
For future restoration and preservation projects in Hoi An and Quang Nam in general, stronger communication efforts are needed. Restoration and preservation projects should establish a PR department to handle this. The mindset of "no entry to restoration sites" needs to be replaced with a mindset of "inviting visitors to the restoration site," as the Japanese expert group did when participating in the restoration of Huu Tung Pagoda at the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang.
At restoration sites like the recent Bridge Pagoda, I saw very large billboards advertising the ongoing restoration project. However, very few people accessed the site, so they didn't have the opportunity to read and learn about this information. Therefore, it's necessary to transform the information on those "static" billboards into "dynamic" information, spreading it through websites, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.
This way, more people will have access to information about the project, better understand the work of the professionals, and be able to support, comment on, or criticize it. This avoids the situation where, after the restoration is completed and the building appears different from the "familiar image" to the public, causing public backlash, those responsible then frantically try to "put out the fire" with measures that do more harm than good.
Content: VINH LOC - QUOC TUAN - TRAN DUC ANH SON
Presented by: MINH TAO
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/trung-tu-di-tich-giua-cong-luan-3138935.html
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