1
VIABLE STRATEGY
FOR THE OLD QUARTER CONSERVATION
Punto Wijayanto
Research Assistant, Centre for Heritage Conservation
Department of Architecture and Planning, Gadjah Mada University
ABSTRACT
Hanoi is a city of one thousand years. The feature of this city presents the results of a long process continuing to
happen from 1010 until today. The various urban elements from different periods have constituted the form of the
city such as the Citadel, the 36 Streets Old Quarter and the French Quarter. Currently, urbanization and
modernization has changed the form of the city. This change equally occurs in the inner part of the city namely the
36 Old Streets Quarter (the Old Quarter). The city centre becomes the favorite place for diverse actors to establish
their construction projects, which are mainly supported by foreign investment. The change in urban form has
become the trigger to formulate the urban conservation efforts for Hanoi’s cultural heritage. Further, since 1990’s,
the national and international agencies have collaborated with local actors to provide the ways to conserve the urban
heritage of Hanoi.
The current metamorphose of Hanoi’s urban development becomes the important consideration of this
paper. There is lot of issues related to urban conservation. This research focuses on one aspect: the issue of urban
conservation and the planning practice in the case of the Old Quarter conservation. This issue deals with urban
heritage in which different countries may posses their own interpretation, thus produce various model of
conservation management. This paper deals with the question of how the urban conservation can play its role in the
overall urban development strategies. Strategies in the form of regulations, management structures and others have
been set up to ensure the urban conservation process. Examination of the practice and the development of heritage
issue will allow us to highlight issues and analyze various strategies for the Old Quarter conservation.
Keywords: The Old Quarter, urban heritage, urban conservation, urban development
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Introduction: Urban Conservation in the Context of Hanoi’s Urban Development
The main issue of urban conservation has changed year by year. Currently, the urban
conservation process has shifted from the initial stages of historic buildings preservation to the
intention to improve the living condition. In the past, as it is noted in international charters such
as Athena Charter and Venice Charter, the emphasis of conservation is on the preservation of
ancient single monuments. Now conservation is an attempt to accommodate change in historic
area (Ashworth, 1991). In the case of developing countries, conservation is used to deliver the
improvement program for the inner part of the city (Steinberg, 1996).
Urban conservation is conducted as the strategy of urban planning in dealing with historic
area. The place of urban conservation in urban development is started with the recognition of
historic character based on the historic formation and transformation process of the city. This
recognition will then allow the delineation of the conservation area. To control the change of
land use, planning in historic area is equipped with legislation. Concern only on characterized
building preservation is not adequate; therefore investment and creating activities are needed to
ensure the vitality of the historic area.
Hanoi is a city of one thousand years in which the feature of this city shows the results of
a long process continuing to happen from 1010 until today. The various urban elements from
different periods such as the Citadel, the 36 Streets Old Quarter1 (the Old Quarter) and the
French Quarter have constituted the form of the city. Old buildings from different typology
become the witness of different historic periods that the city has passed on.
In the current context, many old buildings in the ancient inner part of Hanoi have been
replaced by the new constructions to meet the growing demands of tourism and commercial
development. Shops, mini-hotels or restaurants are replacing the existing physical form of the
quarter. The fear of disappearance of characterized old buildings has provoked the need to
conserve those buildings which has been seen as urban heritage of the city. Conserving urban
heritage has become an important issue in Hanoi’s rapid urban development. However, the
development is unavoidable and therefore, encouraging a discussion about how to continue the
development without loosing the characteristics of the city.
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In cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the implementation of urban conservation is
difficult. The problem is because the historic areas which locate in the inner part of the city have
become the prominent place for new development. The existence of infrastructure is considered
supporting not only the life of the inhabitants but also the service and commerce activities and in
particular the trend of the modern demand or future direction2.
In Hanoi, by the early 1990s, the issue concerning the institutional stage to protect urban
heritage3 shift the focus from individual monuments to conservation area4. Showing the Old
Quarter as a constitutive element of Hanoi’s formation process, Phe and Nishimura (1990)
identified that not only the monuments, religious buildings and revolutionary-related buildings,
the quarter as a whole including its old housing should be conserved in order to avoid the loss of
characteristics of the city. In their proposal, they emphasized the involvement of government and
the participation of the local inhabitants in conservation efforts. Political support for urban
conservation was obtained and the city can benefit a number of restorations financed by foreign
countries and donor agencies.
For instances, in 2000-2006, The Asiaurbs Project attempted to show the sample of tube
house renovation as part of the project “the Hanoi 2010 Project”. This was a collaborative project
of French, Belgian and Vietnamese government. This conservation project considered not only
the conservation itself but also the improvement of community life, social and cultural activities.
It set priorities to enhance the role of the inhabitants in the development of the quarter.
Although there will be no single solution for problems in urban conservation, learning
from the case of Hanoi in holding conservation program may enrich the practices in urban
conservation in general. Involving community participation in the process, for example, may be
the best strategy for conservation projects in some cities. However, in some cases like in
Vietnam, that model of conservation is not possible yet to undertake due to the government’s
domination on the process of decision making in general. The possibility to include urban
conservation in development is the issues for further study of urban conservation in other Asian
cities. This article aims to find viable strategy for the Old Quarter conservation by exploring the
role of conservation of the Old Quarter in the overall urban development strategies. This article
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also examines the historic formation of the city and different projects held by various actors and
international cultural organizations. A short conclusion will end this article.
The Place of Old Quarter in the Present
Initially, Hanoi was established under the name of Thang Long. The placement of its location
was chosen based on Chinese cosmology (Thong, 2000). Around 1000 years of Chinese’s
domination apparently gave a strong influence to the early urban form of Hanoi. Geographically,
Hanoi located within an area nearby the Red River. This area was characterized with the
presence of many lakes of various sizes.
The centre of Hanoi was the Citadel, where the Royal Palace, administrative and military
facilities located. To the east of the Citadel, trading and artisan villages locate nearby the Red
River serving the Citadel with various specific goods. There were also villages producing
agricultural products, located at the outskirt. In term of historic urban form, Hanoi can be divided
into three different areas: the former site of the Citadel or Ba Dinh Quarter, the Old Quarter, the
French Quarter and the Living Quarter (Khu Tap Te) (Vuong, 1977).
The Old Quarter was and, in some cases, is still the area of specialized craftsmen and
trader giving specific names to the streets which mainly use the word “Hang” such as Hang Bo
or Hang Gai (Hy, 2002). As the historic area of the city, the Old Quarter also contains old
buildings of various types. The most dominant building type within the Quarter is the tubehouses. Others traditional architecture found in the Quarter are religious buildings, e.g. den, dinh
and chua with unique ornaments influenced by Chinese culture and public facilities such as
Dong Xuan market. With those urban characters, there is no doubt that the Old Quarter
represents rich cultural heritage of the city.
After the war, the implementation of the collectivization system 5 made most buildings
still remained intact until 1990s (Logan, 2000). From 1990s, the implementation of market
oriented system following the politic reform “Doi Moi” ended the housing subsidy system.
Housing provision is now in the hand of the market oriented system as it is indicated by the
establishment of regulation. In general, number of housing development increases (Phe and
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Wakely, 2000). Although housing is growing very fast in Hanoi, the government does not give
many supports to the people who do not have resource to housing. Therefore, access to
affordable housing is still not easy and many large households must live in small space. Old
housing is in a state of physical deterioration, overcrowded and lacking in services. On the other
hand, the new system enables people initiatives to provide housing on them selves.6 The term of
popular housing was introduced to name the tendency of current housing construction in Hanoi
both by middle class and poor people that cannot afford to improve the quality of their house.
Popular housing means the construction of housing, which is carried out by the people for their
own use (Geertman, 2007). This situation occurs in the Old Quarter as well. Further, as the
tourism industry has begun to develop, many people see that the unique and historic aspect of the
Old Quarter is the attracting aspect for foreign visitors. Unfortunately, this may not always be
compatible with the existing area. The uncontrolled constructions of the mini hotels, shops or
boutiques have created violation that may wipe out the specific urban patterns or features. Those
things are seen as the cause of the loosing characteristic of the Old Quarter and the decay of its
infrastructure.
The Old Quarter as a conservation area is indicated in the Hanoi City Master plan in 1998
as an area to create the image of the city. According to the Master Plan, Hanoi is divided into
three parts: restricted development zone, extended development zone and new development
zone. The restricted development zone is the Centre of the City, embedded by the ring road No. 2
and the right bank of Red river. This zone covers the Old Quarter and the French Quarter as well.
Efforts will be made to preserve and restore historical and cultural relics, natural beauty, and
high-valued structures in the area.
The Contradictory and Lacking Coherence Issues of Conservation Policy
Along with the growing idea of urban conservation to preserve the characteristic of Asian cities,
the Old Quarter conservation is also an ongoing process. Considering the present tendency of
development in the Old Quarter, urban conservation has become the agenda of the city
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authorities and other related organizations, such as professional planners and architects7. The
objective is to preserve Hanoi’s urban character.
Since the French colonization, some heritage conservation efforts have been initiated in
Hanoi. Such efforts were continued after the independence. It aimed to preserve the monumental
buildings. Further, the idea of heritage conservation was restarted in 1984 when the “Ordinance
on Protection and Usage of Historical, Cultural and Famous Places” was issued (Phe, 1990;
Logan, 2000). List of religious, cultural and revolutionary buildings needs to conserve already
exists although at that time the efforts were unsystematic and not easy to be implemented. In
1993, the government published the Law on Construction. This law gives the opportunity for the
government to control the physical change of the city. Within the law, some sections mentioned
the source to formulate how urban conservation should be implemented.
In the same year, the Hanoi’s People Committee established the “Regulations on
Construction Management and Conservation of the Old Quarter of Hanoi”. This regulation was
promulgated in conjunction with the Decision No. 3234/QD-UB. This formal legislation for the
Old Quarter was established in accordance with the Law on Construction in 1993.
Comprehensively, this regulation consists of administration, building code and implementation
rules for the OQ Conservation. Within this regulation, the delineation of the conservation area of
the Old Quarter was introduced. Total area of the conservation area is about 100 hectares8
comprises 10 quarters in about 76 streets.
This regulation consisted of specified guidelines to control the changes of physical aspect
of Old Quarter by making clear the classification of historic objects: the street networks, old
buildings and its architectural elements. Using the inventory method, the classification of objects
comprises as well the locations of 816 old houses. The rule emphasizes on the preservation of the
style of old tube house and makes it as reference for new constructions as it was stipulated in the
14th clause of this Decision, “Architectural style of repaired, improved and newly constructed
works must comply with architectural style and patterns of already existing ancient and old
ones."
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The regulation has shown how to conserve the area are well developed. There are clear
guidelines concerning the architectural elements that need to be preserved. In some cases, the
regulation of construction procedure can be implemented. Several old buildings appear intact
because the owners cannot get the permits to make any construction on their houses9. However,
for some owners the lack of necessary financial support to carry on preservation and renovation
work has made people be under pressure.
In 1998, there are 890 cases of new constructions in the Old Quarter. There are 404 new
constructions were carried out without permission and about 199 cases which had the
permissions but did not follow the regulations (Institute of Architecture Research, 1998 via
HAIDEP Report, 2006). Further, the number of old houses need preserving decrease from 845
(according to Decision No. 45/1999/QĐ-UB) to 275 houses (according to the List of Houses that
need preserving in Hanoi Old quarter, OQMB, 2003). This situation happens as well to the
monumental buildings such as cultural, religious, historic and revolutionary architectures. Many
of these constructions have been destroyed or being encroached with different purposes (Institute
of Architecture, 1998 via HAIDEP Report, 2006). This number may indicate that new
constructions and upgrading projects in the quarter possibly has caused the lost of old houses and
monumental buildings.
There are cases showing that even demolition of an old building prior to the construction
can be carried out without permission. Mostly, due to the limitation of floor area, almost all old
buildings owners prefer to improve or rebuild their houses. Difficulty in construction procedures
has made the owners disagree with the regulations and attempt to find other opportunity for
starting constructions. According to Phe’s research on house improvements (1997), most of the
owners prefer to pay the fine rather than to postpone the construction. The regulations itself
mention that payment of fine can solve the violation. Therefore, the security of right is actually
achieved through negotiation with local authorities rather than with proper administrative. This
situation enables the continuity of drastic change in the Old Quarter. Koh (2000) argues that the
grass root system in which a relation is established between the local inhabitants and the member
of Ward People’s Committee can influence decision in issuing the permits.
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The Regulations have shown a clear regulation for the implementation by emphasizing on
the obligation of the owner to have construction permit prior to the construction project. This
shows that the tendency of the government is to concentrate on the buildings preservation and
therefore the protection measures mechanism is used as instrument for heritage management.
There are some weaknesses, including a lack of attention to the involvement of local
communities that may assure the implementation at the local level.
Conservation as Development Project
After the implementation of Doi Moi, the development of Hanoi is now determined by mainly
the private sector, including people who open their own business. In the word of Geertman
(2007), the development in Hanoi is held in the context of spontaneous development. As the
consequences, there are two conditions exists in Hanoi and that the urban conservation needs to
deal with. On one hand, the role of government is particularly as regulator to encourage the
investment. The government has already published master plan to formulate the strategy for
urban development. On the other hand, there are people wants to invest their money to develop
the place where they live. In some aspects such as social housing and infrastructure, the
government also plays its role as developer by establishing a specific official body. This is the
way the government of Hanoi to develop city.
Since 1990s, lot of international cultural agents has worked on the issue of urban
conservation in Hanoi. It was initiated by the study of UNESCO in 1990 that established the
proposal to protect and restore the historic value of the area and at the same time, to improve the
living conditions of the inhabitants (Logan, 2000). The agents have adopted a particular style of
development which emphasizes on old buildings in the Old Quarter. Since that time, urban
conservation is one of concerns of collaborative work between city authority and foreign
countries. With the auspices of international cultural organizations, the local government can
upgrade their role and be involved in conservation program.
As it is established in the conservation regulation, the actors which are involved in urban
conservation are particularly the government official. There are four offices that are important in
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ensuring implementation of the construction management and conservation in the Old Quarter.
As it is established in the 1995’s Decision, those offices are Hanoi Chief in Architect Office
(presently Department of Architecture and Town Planning), the People’s Committee of Hoan
Kiem District, the People’s Committee of Wards in the Old Quarter and The Ancient Quarter
Management Board (AQMB). Two of them, Hanoi Chief in Architect Office and the OQMB, has
the same task to give advice for the construction permit. In the conservation program, these
offices employ architects or planners to ensure the process of decision making and show certain
types of development which respect the aesthetic and planning matters.
It takes several years later that restoration projects are carried out. There were two tubehouses back to their original form with financial supports from Belgian government. They are
now used as the Memorial House, like museum, located at Ma May Street and as the Office of
Old Quarter Management Board at Hang Dau Street. A permanent exhibition about the project
has been installed in both renovated houses which are supposed to influence people to identify
the value of their vernacular houses and to let people know possible method of renovation
(Wijayanto, 2007). However, without any financial support, renovating a tube house is
considered expensive, particularly which uses the natural material such as wood.
Following the argument of Geertman (2007), people in the Old Quarter plays its
important role as business investor and therefore influences the maintenance and change of the
urban space of the Quarter. As Phe (1995) argued, the owners have their capacity to build and
improve their houses. What absent is the provision of knowledge which can lead their intention
fit to the conservation scheme. Some of the owners are aware and choose to respect the
regulation voluntarily. They intend to profit the specific ambiance of the Old Quarter and the
existing architectural form to support their business. Some restoration works and changes under
the supervision of the OQMB carried out to accommodate the new function. Business is the
motive to use those historic buildings; nevertheless their work enables the maintenance of the old
buildings. With limited supports, at the end, it is still the inhabitants’ participation that
determines the running of urban conservation efforts.10
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Conclusion: Conservation Strategies for the Old Quarter
With its long history, Hanoi is a city full of historic quarters and architecture. The
implementation of Doi Moi has given opportunity to develop. Unfortunately, the number of old
buildings is decreasing to give way for new buildings and there is fear that Hanoi will loose its
characterized buildings. Since 1990s, urban conservation in the Old Quarter, Hanoi is an
important urban movement in both preserving the characteristics of historic area and delivering
projects to improve the living condition in the area.
Lesson learnt from the experience of Old Quarter shows the best way is to deal with the
existing city’s formation process. The conservation of the Old Quarter needs to deal with at least
two problems: first, the tendency of the local people to start their business and their willing to
renovate their houses and second, the preservation of the physical characteristics of the built
environment in the Old Quarter. With the regulations, the government can push local people to
avoid any demolition before the new development. However, the regulation is still failed to
involve the willing of the people to work on conservation.
The political will and initiative of government to encourage the conservation efforts is
represented in the establishment of regulations. What needs to underline is whether the
regulations can avoid the loosing of characteristics and at the same time provide the way to
proceed the conservation program. However, the coherence of policies due to the misconception
would be the main challenge in the urban conservation. The implementations and the aims of
interventions should not be contradictory between each other so that the regulation can work as
planned. A clear concept is needed and it is suggested that the conservation should have flexible
adaptation. Hanoi needs to know what aspects should be conserved and its purposed to meet new
demands.
Therefore, the future strategy needs to move to develop a direction of acceptable change
within the historic area, such as possible housing form guideline and economic function.
Changes are the nature in city’s development. Although economic oriented development
consequently can change the existing physical form, in the present context, it has an ability to
regenerate the livability of a quarter. It is clear that in practical action, it is the full responsibility
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of the owners of the house to look out their house but there is no way yet to include the potentials
in the conservation strategy.
While further research is at call, it could be said that in Hanoi, the issue of historic
quarter conservation needs to be linked to urban development. Although there is fear of
disappearance of historic buildings, it is inadequate to focus on static preservation. The return to
market oriented system has enabled the possibility to involve people in city’s development. All
historic buildings and environments is building its role in urban development that requires a
further and consistent, continuous inquiry in order to adapt the physical structures and economic
activities in accordance with the needs of the present demands.
The 36 Streets
Old Quarter
Figure 1. Map of Hanoi in 2006
Source: DPEA-MAP, School of Architecture of Belleville, 2007
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Figure 2. Old and New Building in the Old Quarter of Hanoi
Figure 3. Renovated old tube house in Ma May Street
1
There are two versions of the quarter’s name: the Old Quarter and the Ancient Quarter.
Considering the age of the quarter (less than 1000 years), some scholars prefer to use the Old
Quarter. The area such as the former Citadel is considered as ancient. This article uses the Old
Quarter except for the organization name such as the Ancient Quarter Management Board.
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2
Compared to those metropolises, other historic cities such as the Hoi An historic town can
preserve many architectural works because of the strict implementation of government
regulation. The Centre of Hoi An Monument Management, the official body working on
conservation, can manage the development in the area.
3
Phe and Nishimura (1990) proposed the conservation of the ensemble of Old Quarter as a
historic district in the lieu of individual historic buildings. Regarding the Old Quarter, the value
of the tube houses was measured to recognize its importance. They propose to encourage the
inhabitants to improve their houses as part of the housing provision scheme and at the same time
urban conservation scheme.
4
In 1960s, Andre Malraux, French Ministry of Culture issued a law, later namely Law of
Malraux, to protect the ensemble of historic area of The Marais Quarter in Paris.
5
The policy has changed the pattern of house ownership in Hanoi. A house can be private,
collective or state ownership.
6
The Ordinance on Housing in 1991 officially permits the inhabitants to have the right to own a
house. Later, the ‘Land Law’ in 1993 enables the inhabitants to have the right to own a land-use.
7
Conferences, workshops and research studies on the topic of the Old Quarter Conservation was
frequently held and initiated by regional organizations and foreign universities such as
University of Tokyo, Japan.
8
The area is divided into two zones. Article 4 of this decision stipulates that the boundary of the
main conservation area is about 19 ha of area.
9
In the case of Mrs. N, the owner of an old house at Hang Gai Street, the government does not
give her construction permits even to renovate some parts of his house on her own financial
support. Her house is about 200 years old and already classified as a heritage following the list in
the Regulation in 1999. According to Hoan Kiem District Housing Department Chief, Do Dinh
An, the construction permits procedure was very time consuming. Therefore, his department
preferred to just reject all applications.
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10
According to the present owner of “69” Restaurant at 69 Ma May street, which was renovated
by the owner, there is no sign that other owners of houses in the Quarter follow to restore their
old houses due to the absence of financial support.
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