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Crumbling majesty: A file photo shows the interior of the Giac Vien Pagoda in HCM City. The pagoda has suffered heavy encroachment from nearby developments and wear and tear over many years. — File Photo |
HCM CITY — Overgrown with wild grass and weeds, a group of old tower tombs standing in front of an early 19th century pagoda has become a dump site for waste from surrounding households.
The Giac Vien Pagoda in HCM City's District 11, one of the oldest pagodas in the city, has suffered heavy encroachment and damage for many years.
Things are not much better inside the pagoda. Woodworm-infested pillars stand in the main hall and the tiled roofs are in a state of collapse, says Thich Hue Thanh, a monk who has lived in the pagoda for 34 years.
The road leading to the pagoda is constantly flooded during the rainy season and some places inside become drenched when it rains because of leaking roofs, Thanh says.
"State agencies should quickly restore the pagoda to preserve its original architecture and historical value. Because it is a national relic, the pagoda is prevented from undertaking the restoration work on its own," he said.
The pagoda management have repeatedly asked relevant agencies to do the restoration work, but little has been done.
At 331 years old, the Thong Tay Hoi Temple in Go Vap District is one of the city's oldest architectural sites but it is also in a sad, dilapidated state.
Three-quarters of the temple's land of more than 5,000sq.m have been occupied by households and businesses.
Most of the rafters and pillars in the temple are also infected with woodworm and rotted by rainwater.
The two pagodas are among 11 national and 27 city architectural relics that are seriously damaged, according to a report by the city's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The city has 54 monuments deemed national relics and 86 that have been recognised as relics by the city, including 26 national and 47 city architectural relics.
The report paints a bleak picture of restoration work, saying scores of national and city relics have been let go to ruin, with pagodas and temples accounting for a majority of these.
The Hung Loi pottery kiln in District 8, a national archaeological relic site, has been seriously degraded, and now stands amidst unclean and unhygienic surroundings. Several illegal constructions at the site reflect shoddy management and neglect by authorities, the report says.
Not long ago, domestic and foreign archeologists and students visited the relic often to study and carry out field research. Authorities said that it was difficult to move residents out of some sites because they had occupied the place before the relics were recognised as national or city relics.
One of the most precious historic and cultural vestiges in HCM City is a row of 16 houses built in the early 19th century that still stand on Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in District 5, according to the report.
The facades of the houses still retain their original architecture, but their interiors have been split up.
Only one block of houses are in good state of preservation, while almost all other individually-owned houses have lost their original architectural features.
Although the city's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has nominated these houses for recognition, the vestiges of the old town are at risk of being lost to the high speed of urbanisation.
Le Van Thanh, a researcher with the HCM City Institute for Development Studies, says that while the area awaits recognition, owners of the houses in the old town are not forbidden from rebuilding their own houses.
The city used to have vestiges of many old towns dating back to early 19th century on such streets as Phu Dong Thien Vuong, Luong Nhu Hoc and Hung Vuong in District 5 but they have been destroyed completely.
Many beautiful, old buildings have been replaced by high-rise structures and commercial centres over the years, says Nguyen The Thanh, former deputy director of the city's department of culture.
The section from Dong Khoi Street to Bach Dang Wharf in District 1, for example, lost its ancient architectural value due to an uncontrolled construction boom in the city-centre with a mixture of architectural styles, Thanh says.
With the current high speed of urbanisation, some old historic sites are likely to be destroyed before they are recommended for recognition as relics, she adds.
The prolonged delay in drawing up a list of ancient architectural relics for preservation and restoration has led to defacement and damage caused by rampant urbanisation.
Under the five-year programme on studying and assessing the city's famous monuments, only five of the 50 surveyed have been recommended for recognition as national architecture relics, says Dr Pham Huu My, director of the department's Centre for Preservation and Development of Historic-Cultural Values of Relics.
Dr Le Xuan Diem, former deputy head of the Institute of Cultural Studies, says relics are invaluable assets worth more than gold, but these are being wasted.
Diem says that old towns with traditional daily and trading activities could earn more through tourism than commercial buildings. — VNS