“Necessary” and “urgent” are the words used by the Provincial People's Committee in Official Dispatch No. 8709/UBND-CN dated November 3, 2022 sent to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Cultural Heritage regarding the request to adjust the zoning area and provide comments on the Project to Adjust the Detailed Planning at a scale of 1/500 for Conservation and Restoration of Vinh Ancient Citadel.
Regarding the reason for planning adjustment, in Official Dispatch No. 8709/UBND-CN, the Provincial People's Committee informed:“The detailed plan 1/500 for the conservation and restoration of Vinh Citadel was approved by the People's Committee of Nghe An province in Decision No. 4312/QD.UBND-CN dated October 1, 2008. Up to now, after 13 years of implementing the plan, some items in the area have been renovated and upgraded (such as the road system and ditches of the Citadel, some sports and physical training facilities, etc.); most of the remaining items have not been implemented according to the approved plan. The conservation and promotion of the values of the Citadel historical relic have not been effective; the relics have not been marked with protected zones; the relic records established in 1996 are no longer suitable for practical conditions; the urban landscape architecture has not been effectively and synchronously managed, etc.
In addition, some old collective housing areas in the Citadel, although seriously degraded, have not been resolved due to non-compliance with planning, failure to arrange equivalent locations and resources for resettlement of large numbers of people, causing social security imbalance, public opinion disturbance and mass complaints in this area in recent times.
Therefore, the adjustment of the detailed construction plan 1/500 for the conservation and restoration of Vinh Citadel in the current period is practical and urgent, aiming to review the location, scale, and actual boundary scope of the relics, assess the overall feasibility of the approved plan as well as the limitations and obstacles, thereby proposing synchronous, long-term and feasible planning solutions to preserve, restore and promote the cultural and historical values of Vinh Citadel, associated with solving the urgent need for land use rights and accommodation for residents of collective housing areas within the planning scope, helping to effectively manage planning, architecture, and infrastructure, contributing to the sustainable socio-economic development of the region".
Official dispatch No. 8709/UBND-CN also clarified the detailed adjustment of the protection zoning of historical and cultural relics. Specifically, through review, the zoning dossier for the 1996 relic protection was drawn by hand, and has not yet been marked with protection zoning markers. Regarding the current status of land use and infrastructure in the area surrounding the relics, there have been many changes compared to 1996; the previous zoning area compared to the current reality is not accurate due to measurement errors.
Recently, Vinh City People's Committee has organized research, review, and re-propose the area and boundaries of relic protection areas in accordance with the current status and planning orientation in the planning adjustment project to have a basis for zoning off the protection and promotion of the value of historical and cultural relics: Relic stele at the location where Uncle Ho talked with cadres and people of Nghe An on July 14, 1957; Northern Citadel Relic; Front Gate; Left Gate; Right Gate; Citadel Moat; Guardhouse Relic; Northeast Citadel; Southern Citadel.
The Project of Adjusting the Detailed Planning at a scale of 1/500 for the Conservation and Restoration of Vinh Ancient Citadel has been approved by the People's Committee of Nghe An province for the planning task; the People's Committee of Vinh city has organized the preparation, collected opinions from the local community and organizations and experts in the field of culture and history; reported to the Standing Committee of the Vinh City Party Committee for opinions; completed and submitted the dossier to the Nghe An Department of Construction for appraisal and reported to the relevant departments and branches for opinions.
Therefore, the Provincial People's Committee recommends and proposes to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism:“Because this is an area that has been ranked as a national historical relic. Therefore, the People's Committee of Nghe An province respectfully requests the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Department of Cultural Heritage to give opinions on the content of the adjustment of the protection zone of relic items in the Vinh Citadel area and to contribute opinions on the content of the Project to Adjust the Detailed Planning at a scale of 1/500 for the Conservation and Restoration of the Vinh Citadel Relic, Vinh City. Respectfully request the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Department of Cultural Heritage to consider and resolve”.
On December 16, 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Document No. 5050/BVHTTDL-DSVH on adjusting the Conservation and Restoration Plan for Vinh Ancient Citadel to the Provincial People's Committee.
Here, regarding the adjustment of the 1/500 scale Detailed Planning for the Conservation and Restoration of Vinh Ancient Citadel, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has the opinion that "basically agrees with the content of the adjusted Planning, the scale is about 39.75 hectares, with the specific boundaries as follows: The North borders the residential area of Doi Cung. The South borders Dang Thai Than Street, Cua Nam Ward. The East borders the residential area of Quang Trung Ward. The West borders the residential area of Cua Nam Ward".
However, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the People's Committee of Nghe An province to pay attention to directing specialized agencies on some contents. That is, for the planning plan of the Vinh Prison Relic Area and Guard Post, it is necessary to retain the protection area of the Vinh Prison Relic, and at the same time supplement the planning plan to re-install the stele marking the location of Vinh Prison in the adjusted planning. Supplement and clarify in the adjusted planning dossier the contents related to the plan to delimit the relic area of the Citadel. Supplement the content to assess the impact of adjusting the boundary and delimited area on the activities of protecting and promoting the value of the Vinh Citadel Relic.
For the relic sites proposed to adjust the protected area, it is recommended to study the planting of additional trees to create landscapes, limit the construction of housing projects, and resettle people to preserve the landscape and space of the relics. In addition, for the relics that only have locations and vestiges, it is necessary to have a plan to demarcate the protected area, make a stele, and a signboard introducing the value of the relic (Vinh Prison site, the relics at the foot of the Southern Citadel, the Northern Citadel, etc.). Research and supplement the proposal to develop and promulgate regulations on protecting relics according to the approved planning, in order to create conditions for production and business activities, contributing to improving the quality of life of the local community.
Regarding the content of adjusting the protected area of the relic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed that the Provincial People's Committee assign the Department of Culture and Sports of Nghe An to base on the adjusted planning to consider preparing the dossier, Minutes and Map of adjusting the protected area of the relic according to the provisions of Circular No. 09/2011/TT-BVHTTDL dated July 14, 2011 of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism regulating the content of scientific dossiers for ranking historical - cultural relics and scenic spots.
According to Mr. Dang Hieu Lam - Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Nam Ward, the opinion of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Document No. 5050/BVHTTDL-DSVH is an important legal basis for competent authorities to consider and approve the Project to Adjust the Detailed Planning at a scale of 1/500 for the Conservation and Restoration of Vinh Ancient Citadel. The opinions of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will be received, edited and supplemented by the consulting unit so that the Vinh City People's Committee can comment on and complete it, and submit it to the departments and branches for final comments; then, it will be submitted to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and approval".
Mr. Dang Hieu Lam also said that in preparation for the upcoming meeting of the Ward People's Council, the Ward People's Council has organized meetings with voters in the area, including voters in blocks 1, 2, 3, which are residential areas affected by the Vinh Citadel planning. During the meeting with voters, the ward informed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has agreed to adjust the planning; the next steps to complete the planning adjustment project are according to regulations. Asked about the opinion of Cua Nam Ward, Mr. Dang Hieu Lam replied: "The ward hopes that the Vinh Citadel Relic Planning Adjustment Project will be approved and implemented soon. Because only then can the legitimate aspirations of people living in the planning area be resolved. At the same time, it will create urban beauty for the city and promote the cultural and historical values of this national relic system...".
