The French city of Toulouse, the Belgian capital city of Brussels and the European Commission (EC) have agreed to fund a project named “Hanoi - Heritage and Cultural Characteristics”, which will mainly focus on preserving and restoring ancient and valuable houses that are in serious need of repairs in the Old Quarter.

Under the framework of the project, an international seminar to discuss ways to preserve ancient streets in Asian and European cities was held in Hanoi, drawing the participation of about 150 Vietnamese and international scientists to discuss preserving and restoring cultural heritage.

Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Ngo Thi Thanh Hang highlighted the significance of the seminar, saying that it provided a good opportunity for scientists to exchange experiences and promote co-operation in conserving cultural heritage in the old cities of Asia and Europe. It also helped Hanoi to work out effective measures to preserve and develop the tangible and intangible cultural values of Thang Long-Hanoi while calling for local people’s involvement in conservation work.

In the past 10 years, three ancient houses at 38 Hang Dao, 55 Hang Bac and 87 Ma May streets have been restored under the sponsorship of the French city of Toulouse. Toulouse Mayor Jean Luc Moudenc said this was really a model to combine the conservation of architectural heritage with improvements in the local people’s living conditions.

Regarding Hanoi’s plan to submit files to UNESCO to recognise Hanoi’s Old Quarter as a World Heritage Site, Mr Moudenc said, “We are ready to help Hanoi make files for submission to the UNESCO. We have a wealth of experience in this field and will do our best to support Vietnam.”

The master plan for conserving Old Quarters under the world heritage roadmap should be implemented synchronously in adherence to regulations and policies.

Concerning a number of solutions that need to be implemented in the near future, Mrs Hang said the city will continue building pilot conservation projects and devising solutions to help people restore the ancient architectural work and heighten their awareness about the conservation of the Old Quarter. Besides, the city will invest in upgrading historical and cultural relic sites and maintaining traditional crafts.

The Management Board of Hanoi’s Old Quarter has proposed a pilot project to conserve ancient Ta Hien Street and upgrade the ancient streets of Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hang Bac and Ma May.Ta Hien Street alone has architectures typical of the 36 old streets and guilds with houses built in the same style, space arrangement and area. The low volume of traffic on Ta Hien will facilitate a plan to re-organise the route into a walking street.

(Source: VOV)