Heritage struggling with severe natural disasters
The historic flood from October 27 to November 3 caused serious damage to the Hue Monuments Complex.
According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, floodwaters have risen 1-2 meters in most areas, just after the flooding level in 1999. Many relics such as Dai Noi, Lang Minh Mang, Lang Tu Duc, Cung An Dinh, Lau Tang Tho... were deeply flooded, covered with mud.
In Dai Noi, the road yard was flooded with water of 1.2-1.5m, overflowing into many palaces; Nghinh Luong Dinh was flooded with water up to 2m. Electrical systems, barriers, vending machines, and controls were severely damaged. A 15m long section of Hoang Thanh wall collapsed, Ngoai Kim Thuy lake was eroded, many ancient brick foundations were peeling. Estimated damage is more than 31.7 billion VND, excluding emergency repair and long-term recovery costs.
Meanwhile, during the flood situation at the end of October, Hoi An - an urban area honored as a World Cultural Heritage - was deeply flooded due to the water level on the Thu Bon River rising, exceeding the alarm level III, higher than the historical flood peak in the year of the Dragonclassclassclass. With this flooding level, more than 1,100 ancient houses and relics in Hoi An ancient town are submerged in water, the first floor of Cau Pagoda relic is flooded nearly 2m deep.
Immediately after the flood, Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Pham Duc An and the working group surveyed the relic in Hoi An. Of the more than 1,100 relics inspected, most are safe, only 30 are severely damaged. The city is implementing restoration, supporting 100% for special projects and 40-100% for other relics. Mr. An emphasized: "Conserving monuments is preserving the soul of the city. Conservation must be associated with tourism development to make heritage live and bring sustainable livelihoods".
On the other hand, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center said that thanks to careful preparation of natural disaster prevention and control plans, most of the works, artifacts, national treasures and valuable assets in the ancient capital of Hue have been safely protected.
Finding a long-term solution
According to Mr. Hoang Viet Trung - Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, as soon as the water receded, the Center mobilized all forces and machinery to clean up mud, waste, clean and spray the relic. By the morning of October 31, the relic sites had reopened. The work of preserving artifacts, preventing moisture, handling earthworms and checking their structure is being urgently deployed.
However, experts warn that there are many long-term risks such as degraded tiled roofs, rotten wood, lake embankments and mattresses that are prone to subsidence. Electrical systems, lightning protection, and information technology also need new investment. The center has proposed more than 34.2 billion VND for 10 urgent items, of which the restoration of the Imperial Citadel wall and the Kim Thuy Foreign Lake embankment is a priority. Mr. Trung emphasized that if not invested in time, the value of the Ancient Capital could suffer damage that is difficult to recover.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son - Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education - commented: "I think that the current level of damage has exceeded the warning threshold. Many heritages, especially those located near rivers, low-lying areas, or traditional wooden works, are facing the risk of not being able to recover if they continue to suffer the repeated impact of natural disasters.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son said that heritage protection work still has many weaknesses. In particular, the biggest weakness lies in the thinking and risk management mechanism, not just in policies, resources or awareness.
To overcome this, heritage management agencies and authorities at all levels need to change from the root, build a unified heritage risk management strategy nationwide; apply digital technology to create risk maps, train specialized teams and increase local accountability.
Most importantly, heritage protection against natural disasters needs to be considered not only a cultural task, but also a part of the national sustainable development strategy, especially in the context of increasingly severe climate change.
Protecting heritage in the context of climate change is not only a cultural task, but a problem of national governance capacity. If we do not act immediately, each storm and flood season will take away a part of the national memory. But if we act correctly and accurately, we can turn climate challenges into motivation to build a sustainable, modern conservation system capable of protecting Vietnam's most valuable values against unpredictable changes in the future, he emphasized.
