Hanoi preservation

Many religious monuments and temples, along with other infrastructure works in Hanoi, are in a race of thoughtless renovation and reconstruction to welcome Hanoi’s millennium anniversary by October of this year.
Today, Pham Khanh Toan will complete his contributions in transforming the Xuan Tao communal hall, or dinh in Vietnamese, into what is both a pagoda and a temple. The dinh is located in Minh Tao village, about 10 kilometres from Hanoi’s centre.
In the yard, people are busy installing a pair of stone lantern pillars, which originate from China and are commonly used in public gardens, at the dinh’s gates. Toan, a builder and contractor, stands in front of a guardian statue made of ferro-concrete and coated by South Korean paint. He pushes his drill into the statue’s chin and the flute of the upper lip, then installs screws into the holes and fixes some black electricity wires onto them. Now, the statute’s young face looks a little bit older, with its new beard and moustache.
“Our contract with the local relic management board has been completed,” says Toan, who makes these statues for under VND8 million ($421) with the board.
“We don’t understand what they (local authorities) are turning the dinh into,” says Nguyen Cong Thanh, an 80-year-old local resident. “Many other weird things are also installed here,” Thanh sighs.
Only a year ago, this dinh remained an ancient historical and cultural national-level site. It was built in the mid-17th century and dedicated to Than Nong, an ancient Chinese king who taught people how to farm. Legend has it that he is also the father of all Vietnamese people.
In 2005, the dinh was recognised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) as a national historical and cultural site, as it was one of Hanoi’s important places to hide weapons and revolutionaries during the French colonial war.
However, even though it’s managed by the MCST, the dinh was totally rebuilt with an investment of VND11 billion ($621,500), without official permission. All the details are now quite different from what they should traditionally be. Some of the original parts have even been sold off for a profit.
As a result, the MSCT has ordered a temporary halt to further construction of this dinh, pending further inspection. The fate of this dinh is shared by thousands of historical sites around Hanoi, all of which are in a race of careless renovation and reconstruction to welcome the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The Yen Phu communal hall, constructed in the 17th century, was recognised as a national historical site in 1986 and worshipped Uy Linh Lang, Vuong Doi and Vuong Ba, the three princes of King Tran Thanh Tong (1258-1278), who made great contributions to the country’s triumphs over Chinese Mongol Yuan invaders.
However, this hall was repaired in 2004-2006. Its colourful man-made animals on the roof, such as unicorns, dragons and phoenixes, were carelessly renovated from their original versions. Located on the west bank of Hoan Kiem Lake, Nam Huong temple is dedicated to the many genies of Thang Long (present-day Hanoi). In front of it, there is a site on which stands the statue of king Le Thai To (1428 - 1433). The two sites used to be separated by a wall, as they should have different functions.
However, in late 2009, it was decided that the king should be worshiped within the temple, with a new statue. Ironically, a stone dragon was created, crawling from the foot of the staircase upwards, not downwards as it should be traditionally. The site is also decorated with Chinese stone lantern pillars and newly-made ceramic animal figures, which historians say makes no sense.
Other works
Located at the crossroads of Hang Than, Hang Luoc, Hang Giay, Hang Dau, Quan Thanh and Phan Dinh Phung streets, Hang Dau Water Tower was built in 1894 by the French and was the first work marking the transformation of Hanoi into an urban centre. Previously, Hanoi people used well water or water from lakes and ponds. This tower has become a special landmark in Hanoi, just like Hoan Kiem Lake or the Old Quarter, because of its old appearance and unique beauty.
However, the tower is now being repainted soullessly and has become unsuitable to the surrounding streets.
Elsewhere, to prepare for the millennial anniversary this October, Hanoi authorities have spent nearly VND50 billion ($2.7 million) to replace lamps and re-pave the banks of Hoan Kiem Lake and many sidewalks across the city. This has caused waste and negative reactions from the public. As a result, the authorities have had to halt all this work until after the anniversary celebrations.
Problem solving
In fact, many historical and cultural sites in Hanoi are deteriorating and need preserving. Officially, a relic needs restoration when over 70 per cent of it has been damaged or has deteriorated.
“We need to re-evaluate the current system that involves setting up, appraising, approving, restoring and supervising restoration works. People now think more about the money and less about how to best protect our historical relics,” says Vietnam Association for Historical Science chairman Phan Huy Le.
Meanwhile, Vietnam law offers no punishments for the poor restoration of relics. Even under the Law on Cultural Heritage, only three articles define punishments for such crimes. However, none offer exact punishments or ways to implement them. Additionally, since 2005, Hanoi’s relevant agencies and experts have drafted documents such as the Regulation on Management,
Investment and Preservation of Cultural Relics and the Regulation on Managing Ancient Relics. However, until now, these regulations were still on the table.