Over 30 heritage homes in Hoi An ancient town face severe decay, with residents relying on makeshift repairs.
In Hoi An’s Minh An Ward, the historic house at 23 Tieu La Street has become the home of Duong Thanh Cuong (born in 1955) and his family of five. Cuong, a fourth-generation resident, has worked to preserve the family’s Category-4 heritage house.
After a century of exposure to natural disasters and wear from time, the house now shows extensive deterioration. Its walls are lined with deep cracks, peeling paint, and crumbling plaster, while weakened beams barely support the structure.
Mr. Cuong cautiously walks across the fragile, decaying staircase.
"At this stage, the house could collapse at any time, threatening my entire family," said Cuong.
As a heritage site, residents are prohibited from repairing the house independently. While the government has surveyed the home and offered some funding for repairs, estimates suggest that a complete restoration would cost several billion VND. Cuong’s family, already financially stretched, cannot afford the required contributions for the repairs.
In response, Cuong has covered the home in tarps and uses buckets to catch leaking rainwater.
Mr. Cuong covers his home with tarps and places containers to collect rainwater.
Another house, located at 68 Tran Phu Street - a street listed among the “71 Most Beautiful Streets in the World” by Architectural Digest - is home to 83-year-old Ngo Thi Gan and her two sisters, who are close to 90. The annual floods have taken a toll on the house, which is now fragile, with termite-damaged ceiling wood that occasionally falls off.
The heritage management unit has attempted to stabilize the structure, reinforcing beams and patching the ceiling with tarps. However, the sisters live in constant fear, often needing to take refuge with neighbors during storms. “Each time it rains, my sisters and I have to lean on each other to evacuate,” Gan shared. “I just pray that I pass before this house gives in.”
Others face a similar plight. Tran Thi Thanh Tam, who lives in a 200-year-old Category-1 heritage house, worries about her home collapsing every rainy season. Tam’s family of five resides in a modest 50-square-meter space that leaks during rainstorms, turning the house into a maze of buckets to catch water. During storms, her husband must carry his 93-year-old mother to safety.
The 200-year-old house suffers from severe structural decay.The three sisters of Mrs. Gan live in constant unease within a heavily deteriorated house."Trạm nhử mối được đặt khắp nhà cổ"The 200-year-old house is experiencing significant structural deterioration.Plastic tarps lining the roof of the old house create a scene reminiscent of 'slum' areas.Even with the tarps in place, rainwater still pours down onto the bed.
Dozens of heritage homes in Hoi An are in urgent need of restoration.
Over 30 heritage homes in need of repair
Pham Phu Ngoc, Director of the Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation in Hoi An, reported that 36 out of over 1,000 heritage sites are in poor condition. Of these, 10 are severely deteriorated, 17 show significant damage, and 9 exhibit minor issues.
Ngoc explained that the city offers support for the proper restoration of these homes. For communal properties facing severe deterioration, Hoi An has requested provincial support to fully fund restoration.
While awaiting provincial approval, Hoi An’s government has proposed allocating funds to urgently repair the most critical heritage sites.
For privately owned heritage houses, government support covers 40–70% of repair costs. In cases of financial hardship, homeowners can receive an interest-free loan for the first three years, allowing them to gradually repay the remaining costs.
Vietnamnet.vn
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