HCM City allocates US$30 million for preservation of historic buildings

The city has a total of 172 recognised relics, including two special national-level relics, 56 national-level relics and the remaining at city level, said Huynh Thanh Nhan, Director of the city’s Department of Culture and Sports.

Nearly 100 sites are seeking recognition as relics, Nhan said at a workshop held in HCM City this week.

The city has also encouraged private investors to take part in preservation of cultural heritage sites, he said.

Many relics have been damaged seriously due to poor management and preservation efforts as well as limited funds for preservation, he added.

Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam, said that failure in urban planning had led to the disappearance of many heritage sites.

Rapid urbanisation had led to unplanned construction of high-rise buildings along historically famous streets such as Nguyen Hue, Le Loi, Ham Nghi, Le Duan and Ton Duc Thang, damaging the historic value of these boulevards, Bai said.

Le Tu Cam, Chairwoman of the HCM City Cultural Heritage Association, said the preservation of cultural heritage was vital for the city’s sustainable development.

The tourism sector should also contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage sites, which greatly benefit the local tourism sector, Cam said.

Only 40 recognised relics in the city are currently listed on city tours, according to the HCM City Monuments Conservation Centre.

Many relics have not been properly used to make them interesting tourist attractions, said Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, head of the Department of Tourism’s tourism resource planning office.