On November 22, Mr. Hoang Viet Trung - Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center said that the City People's Committee has just issued a decision to declare a natural disaster emergency after the collapse of a section of the northern Hoang Thanh citadel wall, adjacent to Dang Thai Than road, about 180m from Hoa Binh Cua.
Due to prolonged floods in late October and early November, water seeping for a long time eroded the ground, combined with rising water levels of the Huong River, weakening the traditional brick structure. At 6:45 p.m. on November 2, a 14.2m long, 4.3m high section of the wall suddenly collapsed. The area showed signs of subsidence, the drainage system was filled, causing congestion.
The preliminary cause was determined to be weak foundation, congestion and traffic vibration. Many sections of the wall in the Imperial Citadel have also degraded, posing a potential risk of incidents when encountering heavy rain.
In case of emergency, the city requires dangerous Zoning, warning signs, limiting people and tourists' access; at the same time, bracing and temporarily reinforcing high-risk sections of the wall and updating daily developments.
The Hue Monuments Conservation Center was assigned to take emergency measures, assess the overall status and coordinate with departments and branches to build a project to handle collapsed walls and prevent subsidence in neighboring areas. After the repair, the Center will advise on ending the emergency situation according to regulations.
The incident shows the great challenge in preserving the heritage of the ancient capital of Hue in the face of climate change and extreme floods.
