Tarps and metal sheets are spreading over the yin-yang tiled roofs and open lightwells of Hoi An's old houses, VnExpress reports. Replacement tiles are hard to find, so owners use corrugated metal and tarps to stop leaks.
The town has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 1999. It has more than 1,000 old houses and relics, over 80 percent of them privately or collectively owned.
Pham Phu Ngoc, director of the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, said residents may fit light awnings of 0.8 to 1 square metre over lightwell eaves. Fully covering a lightwell with tarp, or building a frame to roof it, breaks the rules because the roofs are part of the relics. He said some households used tarps only as temporary fixes after heavy rain, and that a dedicated team inspects daily and will require repairs or removal.
Vo Phung, a former director of the Hoi An Culture and Sports Center, said the lightwell is "the breathing space of an old house". He said covering one without permission spoils the architecture and the town's appearance from above.
Nguyen Tan Cuong, chairman of the Hoi An Ward People's Committee, said the ward and the Conservation Center have agreed coordination rules for dilapidated houses. Businesses and households will be reviewed and required to comply.
The report describes tarped roofs on Tran Phu Street, including an altar room at number 68 covered because its tiles leak often. It also notes narrowing sidewalks where shops put up posts for makeshift awnings.
Sources
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