The authorities of Ha Noi are planning to relocate households living in cramped, polluted and unsafe conditions in the old quarter in the hope of preserving the historic character of the inner city.
The center of Viet Nam’s capital has nearly 900 buildings and other structures of cultural, historical and religious significance, including 245 houses built many centuries ago, as well as the relatively undamaged remains of Thang Long, the imperial city of long ago.
The Ancient City Management Board says much has been done to safeguard the old quarter in recent years, but damage is still occurring.
More than 15,000 households inhabit the area in question, 63 percent of them in very old houses and 12 percent in condemned buildings, and the infrastructure of the area is way too primitive for an expanding population.
To solve the overpopulation problem, the People’s Committee of Hoan Kiem District and the Housing and Urban Development Corp. are planning to move many of these households to the new Viet Hung housing project in Long Bien District.
The management board is keen on the idea as the residents will be able to live in safe, unpolluted conditions and the old city’s preservation will be a simpler task.
However, many residents are angry and afraid about having to move to a new place as they have a strong attachment to the area where their families have lived for generations.
Bang Son, a writer with a boundless love for the old quarter, says he supports the planned relocation, but only if the residents get adequate compensation for their old homes and improved living conditions in their new abode.
