VietNamNet Bridge – Building restrictions imposed to protect the ancient village complex of Duong Lam in Son Tay, about 50km from Ha Noi, is said to be making it difficult for some residents.

A traditional home in Duong Lam Village. Residents in the village are complaining about the local authorities' restrictions on renovating their houses. (Photo: VNS)

The village complex consists of a group of five traditional northern villages with solid, low-slung houses, temples, pagodas and dinh's - and walls made of laterite (a type of natural mud brick).

In 2005, the area was recognised as a national historical and cultural relic, and one year later, Son Tay Town People's Committee passed regulations to preserve it.

Vice-head of the Duong Lam ancient village management board, Nguyen Trong An, said the preservation area covered about 150ha. Picturesque leftovers from the past include old village gates, ancient houses, and cultural values presented in traditional festivals and even the lifestyle.

The heart of the preservation area is Mong Phu Village, Mong Phu village gate, a temple built in 1684 and many ancient houses aged 300-400 years old.

An said that the regulations now insisted that most new buildings in Mong Phu Village must be built in the old style, no more than one storey in height, with a height of less than three metres and a tiled sloping roof.

In the neighbouring preserved villages of Dong Sang, Doai Giap, Cam Thinh and Cam Lam, two-storey houses with tiled sloping roofs are acceptable as long as their designs are approved by local authorities.

However, a Mong Phu villager, Ha Thi Khanh, said that her old-style one-storey house was too small for her family of eight, so with savings and loans of about VND800 million(US$38,000), she built a two-storey house.

She paid the price for flaunting the regulations. Her newly-built house was torn down by local authorities last December!

An, from the ancient village management board, said that housing demands of the 6,000 local residents of the complex of villages controlled by preservation rules was on the rise. He added that many of the homes were dilapidated.

Since 2008, about 100 households have applied to build, extend or fix their houses, but few received licences.

An noted that new-style "thin' houses that were built before the village received recognition in 2005 affected the features of the traditional village.

He said the management board had proposed to reduce the population density in the preserved area to minimise the need for modifications.

The board has raised public awareness about the historical and tourism values of the villages and helped inhabitants run small tourism business, such as providing food and tour guides.

Duong Thi Lan, vice chairwoman of the commune's Women Association, said that some local residents complained about the building restrictions because they claimed it did not benefit them in any way.

More than 10 ancient houses are now open to tourists and their owners receive about VND200,000-400,000 ($10-20) a month.

The rest receive little benefit, she said.

Pro Pham Hung Cuong, vice principal of Civil Engineering University, a planning consultancy for restoration and preservation in Duong Lam Commune, said it was difficult to ensure sustainable preservation if housing and population density was not taken into account.

He said if the locality chose tourism as a key development sector, it needed to create community-based tourist products that brought profit to all local residents.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News