Over the past three years, around VND1,500 billion has been spent on conserving and renovating historical sites. However, most work undertaken has proved to be ineffective. A VOV reporter interviewed the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Tran Chien Thang, on the issue.

Reporter:  Recently, many sites have been damaged or destroyed by sub-standard or inappropriate renovations and some have even been re-built from scratch. Why so?
Mr Thang:  Some newspapers have covered this problem. However, a number of historical sites need to be completely upgraded. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has directed a number of working parities to probe into misdemeanors concerning the restoration of some sites. However, I believe that there are no serious problems occurring at historical sites nationwide.

Reporter: Many localities claim to have effectively managed their historical sites.  What is your opinion?

Tran Chien Thang

Mr Thang: It is important to conduct a survey to evaluate the level of both effectiveness and ineffectiveness. Vietnam has some 40,000 historical sites classified into national and provincial categories. However, there are quite a few bad examples of renovation work. We have recently dealt with some cases of illegal land use in Hanoi such as building kindergartens in historical relic areas.

Reporter: What responsibility do management agencies and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have over bad management practices?
Mr Thang: I think it is everyone’s responsibility and all parties concerned should enhance their sense of responsibility when it comes to renovation work. It is necessary to evaluate the level of dilapidation of historical sites and find ways to protect them against further degradation. Around 80 percent of its funding is used to renovate existing historical sites.

Reporter: We have attracted large amounts of investment in recent years. However, further renovations often lead to further degradation of our historical sites as they are mostly ineffective. What’d you think about this?
Mr Thang: Whoever has said that should provide more information, statistics and evidence to back up the story. I have no comment.

Reporter: What lessons have we drawn from the restoration and preservation of historical and cultural sites?
Mr Thang: We all hope that local authorities and the pubic will have to respect and take responsibility for the protection of such heritage sites. In some areas without funding, most historical sites remain intact and only a few have been renovated thanks to due attention given by local authorities and people.

Reporter: How can we increase the awareness of managers and staff who are involved in the renovation and preservation of historical sites?
Mr Thang: There is growing concern over the professional skills of those people directly involved in restoring and upgrading historical sites. Many people have voluntarily joined in renovation projects although they were not appointed. We are not sure about their professional skills. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism does not have the right to test their knowledge and professional skills. We propose that managers and workers taking part in renovation projects should have the necessary knowledge and professional skills that are certified by authorised agencies.

Reporter: Does the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have any plans to role out a standard process for the restoration and renovation of historical sites?
Mr Thang:  At present, we already have regulations on restoration and renovation but, judging from the current situation and scale of this work, I think it is essential to review and fine tune these regulations. We are making preparations to issue new regulations that require a certain level of knowledge and professional skills for managers and workers, as well as identifying the responsibility of local authorities regarding the restoration and preservation of ancient historical sites.

Reporter: Thank you.