HCM City requires owners to renovate 151 old villas
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has asked the owners of 151 villas built before 1975 to repair or renovate the buildings, most of which are located in districts 1 and 3.
An old villa on Vo Van Tan street in HCM City’s District 3 is being renovated. (Photo: thanhuytphcm.vn)
HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh CityPeople’s Committee has asked the owners of 151 villas built before 1975 to repairor renovate the buildings, most of which are located in districts 1 and 3.
The villas are classified into three groups based on theirhistorical and cultural importance, with detailed regulations forpreservation.
Buildings in groups 1 and 2 must be preserved, whilebuildings in group 3 have little historic or architectural value canbe demolished.
Group 1 has 52 old villas, including 10villas in district 1, 41 villas in district 3, and one in Thu Duc district.
In this group, the external architecture, internal structure,the number of floors, and the building height have to be maintained.
Seventy-five old villas in group 2 include 30villas in District 1, 39 villas in district 3, four villas in district 5, one villa in Phu Nhuan districtand one in Thu Duc district. The external architectural shapemust be maintained.
Group 3 includes six villas in district 1, 17 villas in district 3 and one villa in Binh Thanh district.Owners of the villas must comply with the laws on buildingand architectural planning management.
The committee has asked the owners tocomply with regulations on renovation and conservation of old villas,the Housing Law, and regulations on the management and use of State-ownedvillas.
Repairs and renovation must comply with the Law on CulturalHeritage to ensure the protection ofcultural, art or historical value of the villas.
The owners of old villas classified in groups 1 and 2 are notallowed to change theoriginal structure or demolish the villas if they arenot included on the Department of Construction’s listof buildings at a high risk of collapse or are seriouslydamaged.
The municipal Department of Construction and the People’s Committees of districtswill supervise and inspect the management of thepre-1975 villas and will strictly handle illegal dismantling ordemolition.
About 900 villas in the city were built before 1975.Most of them are privately owned. Many have been demolished or havefallen into disrepair in recent years. Some old villas have been renovated tobecome schools, restaurants or coffee shops./.
About 1,350 century-old houses and villas in HCM City, mostly in District 1 and 3, need thorough conservation and strict monitoring plans to avoid illegal dismantlement, city authorities say.
The HCM City Development and Research Institute has proposed preserving 16 villas built before 1975 because of their historical and cultural importance.
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An old villa on Vo Van Tan street in HCM City’s District 3 is being renovated. (Photo: thanhuytphcm.vn) 
