Some of the oldest heritage buildings in and around Ho Chi Minh City are suffering damage due to neglect, according to reports from the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Crumbling relics slip through the cracks
Viet Nam News, 31 July 2010
The two pagodas are among 11 national and 27 city architectural relics that are seriously damaged, according to a report by the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The city has 54 monuments deemed national relics and 86 that have been recognised as relics by the city, including 26 national and 47 city architectural relics.
The report paints a bleak picture of restoration work, saying scores of national and city relics have been let go to ruin, with pagodas and temples accounting for a majority of these.
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Not long ago, domestic and foreign archeologists and students visited the relic often to study and carry out field research. Authorities said that it was difficult to move residents out of some sites because they had occupied the place before the relics were recognised as national or city relics.