Hanoi is expected to issue preservation regulations for colonial-eravillas by year-end while the city's old public buildings undergoassessment, a top planning official has said.
"We have set a goalto return the original pre-1954 look to the whole French quarter in thenear future," said Planning and Architecture Department deputy directorDuong Duc Tuan.
The so-called ‘French quarter', which covers anarea of about 400ha in the districts of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da andHai Ba Trung, was once known as a ‘garden city'.
Tuan said thedepartment has completed a comprehensive report of more than 1,500French villas in the area and preservation regulations are expected tobe issued by Hanoi People's Committee.
According to the report,some 230 villas, mostly in Ba Dinh district, were classified as‘particularly valuable'. They are at least 500sq.m in size, set in agood location and still maintain their original look and architecturalstyle.
"They need to be strictly preserved," said Tuan.
Thedepartment has also suggested restoring some 430 others back to theiroriginal style as they are "valuable villas in a good location butpartly damaged or distorted."
Assessment team member Tran QuocBao, a lecturer at the Construction University's Architecture andPlanning Department and a member of the Hanoi Architecture ResearchGroup, said the assessment was based on the buildings' historical andcultural values, architecture, landscape, originality and function.
"This is the first French architecture preservation project that the city has ever run," said Tuan.
Headmitted that weak management and underestimating architecturalbuildings from the French colonial period has led to widespreaddestruction and unplanned repairs of valuable houses in the city.
Mostdestruction occurred after the Doi moi (Renewal) process began in 1986when the city needed land for its increasing population and economicdevelopment.
"It was painful to see most beautiful private villasbe replaced with new ugly structures or being distorted due toexpansion," said Bao.
The city has also started efforts topreserving French-style public buildings. The new project is underway toassess the current condition of old public buildings and theirsurrounding areas south of Hoan Kiem Lake and in Ba Dinh district,according to Tuan.
"We hope to soon expand the efforts to theremaining part of the French quarter," he said, adding "the French left ahuge architectural heritage in Hanoi."
He expected the surrounds would be officially recognised as an area of cultural heritage.
Accordingto Bao, most of the colonial-era villas and public structures in Hanoiwere built in the styles of French vernacular architecture, neo-classic,Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Indochinese architecture.
The capitalwas one of Asia's most modern cities during the roaring 1920s and 1930sas described by French Professor Christian Pedelahore at Ecole NationaleSuperieure D'Architecture de Paris La Villette.
The founder ofthe Vietnamese Cities research team, with urban planing experiencegained in Europe, Asia and Latin America, said that there were around 80French architects and engineers working in Hanoi at the time.
Amongthose who helped develop old Hanoi into a beautiful "garden city" wasErnest Herbrad, architect, archaeologist and urban planner renowned forhis redevelopment of the centre of Thessaloniki in Greece after theGreat Fire of 1917.
Herbrad co-authored the Hanoi urban plan of1924 and fathered a number of famous buildings, including the HanoiUniversity of Natural Sciences on Le Thanh Tong Street and the VietnamHistory Museum on Pham Ngu Lao Street./.
"We have set a goalto return the original pre-1954 look to the whole French quarter in thenear future," said Planning and Architecture Department deputy directorDuong Duc Tuan.
The so-called ‘French quarter', which covers anarea of about 400ha in the districts of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da andHai Ba Trung, was once known as a ‘garden city'.
Tuan said thedepartment has completed a comprehensive report of more than 1,500French villas in the area and preservation regulations are expected tobe issued by Hanoi People's Committee.
According to the report,some 230 villas, mostly in Ba Dinh district, were classified as‘particularly valuable'. They are at least 500sq.m in size, set in agood location and still maintain their original look and architecturalstyle.
"They need to be strictly preserved," said Tuan.
Thedepartment has also suggested restoring some 430 others back to theiroriginal style as they are "valuable villas in a good location butpartly damaged or distorted."
Assessment team member Tran QuocBao, a lecturer at the Construction University's Architecture andPlanning Department and a member of the Hanoi Architecture ResearchGroup, said the assessment was based on the buildings' historical andcultural values, architecture, landscape, originality and function.
"This is the first French architecture preservation project that the city has ever run," said Tuan.
Headmitted that weak management and underestimating architecturalbuildings from the French colonial period has led to widespreaddestruction and unplanned repairs of valuable houses in the city.
Mostdestruction occurred after the Doi moi (Renewal) process began in 1986when the city needed land for its increasing population and economicdevelopment.
"It was painful to see most beautiful private villasbe replaced with new ugly structures or being distorted due toexpansion," said Bao.
The city has also started efforts topreserving French-style public buildings. The new project is underway toassess the current condition of old public buildings and theirsurrounding areas south of Hoan Kiem Lake and in Ba Dinh district,according to Tuan.
"We hope to soon expand the efforts to theremaining part of the French quarter," he said, adding "the French left ahuge architectural heritage in Hanoi."
He expected the surrounds would be officially recognised as an area of cultural heritage.
Accordingto Bao, most of the colonial-era villas and public structures in Hanoiwere built in the styles of French vernacular architecture, neo-classic,Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Indochinese architecture.
The capitalwas one of Asia's most modern cities during the roaring 1920s and 1930sas described by French Professor Christian Pedelahore at Ecole NationaleSuperieure D'Architecture de Paris La Villette.
The founder ofthe Vietnamese Cities research team, with urban planing experiencegained in Europe, Asia and Latin America, said that there were around 80French architects and engineers working in Hanoi at the time.
Amongthose who helped develop old Hanoi into a beautiful "garden city" wasErnest Herbrad, architect, archaeologist and urban planner renowned forhis redevelopment of the centre of Thessaloniki in Greece after theGreat Fire of 1917.
Herbrad co-authored the Hanoi urban plan of1924 and fathered a number of famous buildings, including the HanoiUniversity of Natural Sciences on Le Thanh Tong Street and the VietnamHistory Museum on Pham Ngu Lao Street./.
