Continuing to use heritage buildings is a good way to conserve them inVietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, the deputy mayor of a Frenchcity on March 18 told a round table on heritage conservation andsustainable urban development in Ho Chi Minh City.
Gilles Buna ofLyon said the city should carry out extensive research on how heritagebuildings can be used in an appropriate manner.
With hisexperience in urban heritage conservation, he urged the city to identifywhat should get priority when it comes to conservation and how tosuitably conserve and enhance urban heritage values in a dynamic andrapidly growing city.
Ly Khanh Tam Thao, deputy head of generalplanning management at the city Department of Planning and Architecture,said heritage conservation in the city, especially of heritagebuildings, had been challenged during the process of urban development.
Thecity's responsibility was to contribute to the country's economy andattract more investment, he said, adding that many heritage buildingshad been rebuilt completely because of economic imperatives.
Asurvey by the HCM City Urban Development Management Support Centre,better known by its French acronym PADDI, found that more than half of377 of the city's heritage buildings had been pulled down and rebuilt inthe last 20 years.
Dr Nguyen Thi Hau, deputy head of the city'sInstitute for Development Studies, expressed the fear that the remainingheritage buildings would be knocked down and replaced by commercialbuildings.
Ton Nu Thi Ninh of the Sustainable Development WorkingGroup said conservation of its urban heritage was vital for creatingthe city's identity.
The city once dubbed the "pearl of the Far East" was now just known as a dynamic economic city, she said.
Preserving its urban heritage was, however, one of the ways to boost its economic development, she added.
Hau said the city should have measures to enhance is urban heritage values.
Butawareness of heritage conservation in the community is low, she said,pointing out that common people have an important role to play in it. Ifthe community does not participate, conservation is not possible evenwith good planning, she added.
Dr Fanny Quertamp Nguyen,co-director of PADDI, added that conservation should focus not only onindividual buildings but also the landscapes around heritage buildings.
DrTo Kien of the Singapore University of Technology and Design said theisland's experience in urban heritage conservation showed the success ofcooperation between the private and public sectors for the task.
Its strategies were a good reference point for Vietnam, he said.
Buthe added that nevertheless the Vietnamese Government and localauthorities should have their own ways to reinterpret and reuse urbanheritage.-VNA
Gilles Buna ofLyon said the city should carry out extensive research on how heritagebuildings can be used in an appropriate manner.
With hisexperience in urban heritage conservation, he urged the city to identifywhat should get priority when it comes to conservation and how tosuitably conserve and enhance urban heritage values in a dynamic andrapidly growing city.
Ly Khanh Tam Thao, deputy head of generalplanning management at the city Department of Planning and Architecture,said heritage conservation in the city, especially of heritagebuildings, had been challenged during the process of urban development.
Thecity's responsibility was to contribute to the country's economy andattract more investment, he said, adding that many heritage buildingshad been rebuilt completely because of economic imperatives.
Asurvey by the HCM City Urban Development Management Support Centre,better known by its French acronym PADDI, found that more than half of377 of the city's heritage buildings had been pulled down and rebuilt inthe last 20 years.
Dr Nguyen Thi Hau, deputy head of the city'sInstitute for Development Studies, expressed the fear that the remainingheritage buildings would be knocked down and replaced by commercialbuildings.
Ton Nu Thi Ninh of the Sustainable Development WorkingGroup said conservation of its urban heritage was vital for creatingthe city's identity.
The city once dubbed the "pearl of the Far East" was now just known as a dynamic economic city, she said.
Preserving its urban heritage was, however, one of the ways to boost its economic development, she added.
Hau said the city should have measures to enhance is urban heritage values.
Butawareness of heritage conservation in the community is low, she said,pointing out that common people have an important role to play in it. Ifthe community does not participate, conservation is not possible evenwith good planning, she added.
Dr Fanny Quertamp Nguyen,co-director of PADDI, added that conservation should focus not only onindividual buildings but also the landscapes around heritage buildings.
DrTo Kien of the Singapore University of Technology and Design said theisland's experience in urban heritage conservation showed the success ofcooperation between the private and public sectors for the task.
Its strategies were a good reference point for Vietnam, he said.
Buthe added that nevertheless the Vietnamese Government and localauthorities should have their own ways to reinterpret and reuse urbanheritage.-VNA
