The mark of Hue city
Although not as massive as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, or Da Lat, French architectural works in Hue are a testament to the urbanization process. Over the years, many of them have been demolished to build new works.
But at present, in Hue, there are still many typical French architectural works, such as the Hoang Nha Thuong (Hue Central Hospital), Le Grand Hotel de Hue (Saigon Morin Hotel), Toa Cong Chanh (Thuan Hoa District Cultural, Information and Sports Center), Nha Ga, Truong Quoc Hoc, Truong Dong Khanh (now Hai Ba Trung School), The Church of the Redemption, Truong Pellerin (Hue Music Academy), The Soldier of the Death Station, Trung Ky Institute of Representatives (Hue University), Truong Thien Huu (Hue University of Sciences, Hue University) ...
These works are built with a system of green space, landscape, sidewalk system, drainage system in a systematic way, following the principles of architecture in urban planning.
According to the researchers, the presence of these works in the early days serving the French administrative apparatus was a way to express the power and power to maintain control of the people of the capital. After that, houses and villas were built in Western architecture but adapted to climate conditions and local traditions in Hue.
Research by Dr. Architect Nguyen Ngoc Tung (Faculty of Architecture, University of Sciences, Hue University) shows that there is still no complete statistic on the number of French architectural works still in Hue. In 2000, Thua Thien - Hue province at that time (now Hue city) had about 240 works, but by 2022, this number had dropped to below 100 and was forecast to decrease further if there were no timely conservation measures.
Architect Tung said that most of the works from the French colonial period have been renovated and expanded. Rarely has any project been maintained intact. These works include many styles such as public houses, offices, villas, colonial houses, religions and also diverse styles.
Which direction to preserve and promote value?
What should be done to promote the value of the remaining French architectural works in Hue is a problem that has been raised for a long time. Dr. Tran Van Dung - Department of Culture and Sports of Hue City - said that the colonial architecture is a unique urban heritage, an important testament to the history of urban development of Hue. Therefore, the preservation and promotion of these architectural works is to recognize the development of the above cultural intersection.
To do this, local authorities need to have policies and programs to disseminate information on projects to develop local architectural heritage tourism in detail and promptly to the people to enhance their understanding, support and contribute their opinions in planning and developing sustainable tourism projects.
Local authorities need to strengthen coordination with tourism businesses to design local architectural heritage tours, connecting with tours to visit locations and relics of the Hue Monuments Complex located near the local architectural heritage to bring visitors to visit and explore this heritage system, contributing to enriching and diversifying the tourism of Hue city.
It can be said that the architectural system of the settlement is a vivid cultural heritage, contributing significantly to creating outstanding and unique values of the heritage city of Hue, along with the Complex of Hue Monuments that has been honored by UNESCO, associated with the process of forming and developing the landscape and architecture of Hue city in the flow of cultural history. Most of the architectural works in Hue are not only architecturally valuable but also in cultural, historical and artistic aspects, so it is necessary to pay attention to preserving and promoting the value associated with sustainable tourism development, avoiding the risk of deformation or gradual destruction in the future" - Mr. Dung suggested.
