A 2026 survey by the Hội An Heritage Conservation Management Centre found 28 degraded old houses in the ancient quarter, VnExpress reported on October 24. Ten are severely damaged, 13 heavily damaged and five lightly damaged.
Nine can no longer support themselves and must be dismantled for safety. Twenty-five of the 28 are privately owned, and 12 are on Trần Phú street, with others on Nguyễn Thái Học, Bạch Đằng, Phan Châu Trinh, Lê Lợi and Tiểu La.
The report describes families using tarpaulins and buckets when it rains, props under rotting posts and, in one house, a roof beam that fell last year. Owners told the paper that full restoration can cost more than 2 billion dong, and the required co-payment of 40-60% is beyond some households.
Joint ownership is another obstacle: some land belongs to clan temples with many heirs, so no single person can sign off paperwork. State budget support for privately owned heritage also faces procedural hurdles.
Centre director Phạm Phú Ngọc said staff and local authorities will record violations and relocate residents from houses at risk of imminent collapse before the storm season. An international emergency fund provided $75,000 to brace the most dangerous sites, the report said. Authorities plan to propose reinstating a regulation protecting the ancient quarter, along with a funding mechanism for restoring privately and collectively owned heritage.
Sources
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