The Duong Pham communal house is a 200-year old Vietnamese heritage which is currently facing destruction despite its historical and architectural significance.
The communal house is located at Phu Nhuan Ward, Hue City and designed with nha ruong style. This means that the structure is made of wood with many beams and pillars. But these have collapsed recently. The altars which were originally built to worship the gods and founders of the village are now exposed to the elements of the weather. Illegal occupants are now known to live around the complex, while people living near the area are removing the bricks from the already breaking walls.
Photo by http://www.vir.com.vn/
The communal house is also in danger of being completely destroyed to give way to a public building, as ordered by city authorities themselves. But the chairman of Phu Nhuan Ward, and perhaps the local residents as well, do not agree to the plan because of the cultural value of the structure. An alternative or compromise is suggested instead to utilize about 500 square meters of the old building and even use the wooden structures, while the rest of the land to be mobilized for community activities.
While communities have to adapt to modernization like constructing new establishments and other forms of development, this doesn’t mean taking out all old structures altogether. In fact, historical and cultural sites should be protected and preserved amid and despite the advancement all around because these will be the ones that will identify a nation of its unique identity. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to recreate such ancient buildings as well because modern artists usually do not possess the same unique techniques and unrelenting passion as the olden artisans.