The underground barbershop (also known as the Hair Tunnel) in Nguyen Du 3 residential group, Nam Dinh ward, Ninh Binh province was ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Relic in 1979. This is a project serving the lives of officials and employees who stayed to produce and fight in the city during the anti-American period.
Previously, the barber's basement was built submerged into the ground 1.2m with bricks, lime, cement, and the foundation was filled with broken concrete bricks. The upper part (the surface part) consists of wood, bamboo, and roof tiles. The ceiling is made of cot, and the ceiling is stacked with rice husks for bomb shelling. The back of the house is made of planks, the front of the house and the two sides are made of windows with railings, the doors are made of 2cm thick planks, folded on both sides. The doors leading in front of the house have steps with 40cm thick tiles.
Throughout the periods, the underground barbershop has been visited by many delegations and visitors. Today, this place is like a symbol, proving that in the most fierce war times, daily activities in Thanh Nam (former Nam Dinh) still take place normally.
After many years of not being restored and embellished in time, the historical and cultural relic of the underground barbershop is falling into a serious state of degradation.
According to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, many wooden items were heavily damaged by termites; the walls were moldy. The roof on top was damaged, so the inside had to be covered with tarpaulin to block the roof position, preventing water from leaking down.
Mr. Lai Minh Duc - Head of Nguyen Du 3 residential group, Nam Dinh ward, who directly oversees the hairdressing tunnel, could not help but feel heartbroken when witnessing the relic becoming increasingly degraded. Mr. Duc said: "The relic of the underground hairdressing shop has been degraded for many years but has not been repaired or upgraded. Since I took over the management, I and the residents of the residential group have had to regularly mobilize to repair and preserve the relic. Most recently, I had to build a brick embankment right at the entrance of the tunnel to prevent rainwater from overflowing from the road.
This relic is very valuable as a historical and cultural relic, people in the residential group have been trying to preserve it for many years, I and the people really hope that the authorities at all levels will soon restore and embellish the degraded items in a timely manner.
Talking to a reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of the Nam Dinh Ward Relic Area Management Board added that the underground barbershop is one of the addresses with special historical value, associated with the daily life and resilient spirit of the people during the war. Over the past time, the locality has also conducted many inspections and assessments of the relic's current status and developed a plan to propose restoration and embellishment. In the immediate future, the Management Board will also coordinate with local authorities and people to implement temporary measures to limit further damage and degradation.
