How to deal with French architecture in Hue?

French architectural works built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries have contributed to "beautifying" the flow and developing the architectural space of Hue city. These works were mostly built on the southern bank of the Huong River, then gradually expanded along the An Cuu River and the southern region.

Nowadays, there are still many constructions located along central roads such as Le Loi, Ly Thuong Kiet... Many researchers call this the French urban space or the "Western" neighborhood.

Many projects were "missed"

Dr. Phan Tien Dung, Chairman of the Hue City Historical Science Association, said that the system of French architectural works in Hue includes public buildings, service facilities,educational , cultural, sports, religious facilities, transportation facilities, production facilities, etc.

During this period, along with the works built in European style, many historical and cultural architectures in Hue were also influenced by the architectural and decorative arts of East Asia combined with the West, typically works such as: Kien Trung Tower, Thai Binh Tower, Truong An Gate, Chuong Duc Gate, Hien Nhon Gate (Hue Imperial Citadel), An Dinh Palace, Kien Thai Vuong Palace, Khai Dinh Palace...

In addition, there are many French architectural villas on some main streets, hundreds of villas were formed in Bach Ma resort (now Bach Ma National Park)...

According to statistics, there were nearly 250 French architectural works built in Hue, however, currently there are only less than 70 works left. Most of the French architectural works were built more than a century ago, and have been affected by war, time and the harsh climate in Hue, so most of them have been affected.

Many structures have been destroyed, the remaining structures are also in a state of disrepair. Along with that, due to different purposes of use, many structures have also been renovated and repaired, breaking the design structure and losing the original aesthetics. In addition, due to the nature of modern urban development in Hue, French architectural works are gradually shrinking.

In 2018, the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province (now Hue City) decided to announce a list of 27 typical French architectural works in the area to have a basis for orientation on preservation and promotion of values. Of these, 11 works are managed by State agencies, 16 works are owned by organizations. However, some people believe that this list is not "complete" because there are still some works that are "missing the list" while some works built in a later period are included in the list.

According to many researchers, the French-planned and built works south of the Perfume River showed respect for the overall architecture of the Hue Capital.

The planning and division of the Huong River into two parts with separate functions is also structured similarly to the Seine River in France, dividing Paris into two areas, one is where cultural, historical and ancient architectural works are concentrated, the other is the administrative, commercial and trading area... Along with that, the design of the project ensures harmony between nature and architecture without creating any contradiction.

Architect Nguyen Ngoc Tung, Head of the Faculty of Architecture (Hue University of Sciences), said that French architectural works in Hue are divided into six styles, of which the works influenced by the classical (or neoclassical) style and the French local style account for the majority.

Le Loi Street along the southern bank of the Huong River is known as the “Western” street, with many existing structures. The structures on this street were built from before 1900 to the 1940s; although some structures have been destroyed, existing structures have been intervened, renovated, and expanded, but in general, the architectural form of most structures remains intact. This creates liveliness and vitality for the street and is the basis for solutions to help preserve and promote the value of these structures.

Need to implement "sample" conservation

Currently, many buildings have expired their prescribed usage period, the houses are deteriorating and gradually abandoned, but the renovation does not have enough legal documents. Some French architectural works are currently being handed over to the owners, due to the need for a place to work and live, so they have been renovated, leading to deformation, affecting the structure and aesthetics of the architecture. Up to now, the locality has not had any policy for the conservation of French architectural works.

Among the French architectural works, three related relics have been recognized, including: Quoc Hoc High School for the Gifted, Hue Industrial College, and Van Nien Water Plant. However, this number is still quite small compared to the existing works.

According to Dr. Phan Tien Dung, in order to preserve French architectural styles, it is necessary to establish a Council to conduct procedures for selecting, counting, evaluating and classifying villas and French-style architectural works into groups according to the provisions of Circular 38/2009/TT-BXD of the Ministry of Construction on Guidelines for the management and use of villas in urban areas.

At the same time, establish policy mechanisms to support conservation (group 1 and group 2); identify works of little value (group 3), which can be dismantled when there is a need to build or embellish the urban landscape.

The Chairman of the Hue City Historical Science Association also said that it is necessary to select and restore a number of construction items to serve as "models" for agencies and individuals who own French architectural works to know and refer to the model, apply techniques to implement renovation and preservation. Selecting a project to preserve French architectural works is extremely necessary as some localities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Ca Mau ... have done.

In addition, it is necessary to implement research projects, conduct inventories of works, select them for inclusion in the list, establish dossiers, and continue to conduct research and evaluation based on the criteria of the Law on Cultural Heritage and the Government's Decree to consider ranking works and historical and cultural sites...

In the immediate future, it is possible to establish records of some works such as: Hue Railway Station, Tu Do Stadium, Central Vietnam House of Representatives (Hue University), Hue Post Office to propose ranking in order to place signs marking the works and events.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/ung-xu-the-nao-voi-cong-trinh-kien-truc-phap-o-hue-147574.html