In the report on the status of cultural heritage management and conservation in Nghe An province at the end of 2022, the Department of Culture and Sports said that in general, the work of restoring and embellishing relics in the province in recent times has gradually become more orderly, ensuring principles and procedures. The quality of restoration basically meets scientific requirements and is increasingly promoting the value of the relics. However, there are still some relic restoration and embellishment projects that do not comply with the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage.
There has been a situation of renovating some items when renovating relics. In Yen Thanh district, during the restoration of a national historical relic, after dismantling the wooden memorial house, descendants of the family changed the materials of some items, such as the door bars, paint, etc. Immediately after discovering this, the Provincial Relic Management Board quickly requested the dismantling and restoration of the dismantled details according to the approved design.
Similarly, when renovating the Nguyen Truong family temple - a provincial relic in Nghi Xa commune (Nghi Loc), because they did not understand the Law on Cultural Heritage, the elders in the family asked to build an additional sanctuary. “Such cases are not rare, because for relics that are restored with socialized resources, the people involved often have the mentality that when they have abundant financial resources, they will rebuild, rebuild to make it solid, have to repaint, clad it with stone to make it majestic, beautiful, even use modern architecture, modern sacrificial objects... This not only destroys the cultural and historical value but also reduces the sacredness of the relic and violates the Law on Cultural Heritage. With relics, the original element is to try to preserve. Because it is the heritage that our ancestors built hundreds of years ago, it is culture, the most beautiful things that have been distilled over time”, Ms. Tran Kim Phuong - Head of the Provincial Relic Management Board expressed her opinion.
Regarding the change of original elements after the restoration of relics in Nghe An, in 2007, the restoration project of the national relic Cuong Temple (Dien An Commune, Dien Chau District) sparked many harsh criticisms in the press because many items were renovated and distorted compared to the original, and was "whistled" by the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). The reason was that during the restoration process, the relevant parties did not seriously implement the regulations on relic restoration. Recently, the story of an ancient pagoda in the heart of Vinh City after being almost renovated was also discussed a lot.
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong - Head of the Nghe An Provincial Relic Management Board said: The most difficult thing in relic restoration is the demolition. How to demolish without damaging the old parts and reuse them in the restoration work? There are rafters and gong stands that when demolished, the accompanying roof is also damaged. Or there are columns that are still sturdy but when demolished, the inside is rotten and the accompanying parts also collapse. Besides, in the process of restoring details on the roofs of communal houses and temples, some symbolic ceramic and porcelain mascots are often damaged and lost, and rebuilding them as before is not simple, it is necessary to invite good artisans, and it is necessary to be meticulous in appraisal and supervision.
According to regulations, when implementing a project to restore or embellish a relic, it is necessary to fully follow the procedures and processes for preparing a dossier like a project in the construction sector, and at the same time, it is also regulated by the Law on Cultural Heritage. For example, if it is a special national relic, when restoring or embellishing it, it is necessary to follow the procedures and processes for submission to the Prime Minister for approval. Or for national relics, it is necessary to prepare a dossier and procedures for submission to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. As for provincial relics, it must be approved by the Department of Culture and Sports.
Along with that, in order for the restoration and embellishment work to ensure proper implementation of the Law on Cultural Heritage, professional staff must clearly understand the regulations stated in Circular No. 15/2019/TT-BVHTTDL dated July 31, 2019, detailing a number of regulations on the preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of relics. Notably, this Circular clearly states that the construction and restoration of relics must comply with the approved relic restoration construction drawings, regulations on quality management, progress, construction volume, labor safety and relevant legal regulations; prioritize the use of traditional construction methods, focus on preserving the original elements of the relic, protecting the structures and architectural components throughout the process of restoration of the relic. In addition, the Circular also requires that the restoration of relics must be carried out under the supervision of the community where the relic is located; regularly consult with historical witnesses, experts, artisans and the local community where the relics are located. Regarding this, Mr. Hoang Danh Truyen - Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee said: "During the restoration of Mo Temple in Lien Thanh Commune and Sung Communal House in Lang Thanh Commune, the district has repeatedly supervised the demolition and construction work of contractors. However, there are items that the district has to invite village elders to get their opinions such as making models and reusing the demolished parts to be as true to the original relics as possible".
However, to restore the relics in a timely manner while ensuring the preservation of the original elements of the relics in the spirit of the Law on Cultural Heritage is not a simple story. In the report on the current status of management and conservation of cultural heritages in Nghe An province, regarding the restoration and embellishment of relics, the Department of Culture and Sports also admitted: Consulting units do not have in-depth knowledge of history, culture, conservation and museum knowledge to establish restoration and embellishment projects of relics; There are too few specialized construction units in the area, not meeting the demand. In addition, the awareness and concern about the management and conservation of historical and cultural relics of some Party committees and authorities are still limited, not profound and comprehensive, and management is still lax. The resources of cadres on cultural heritage at the grassroots level are still lacking and weak; the province does not have enough good experts to manage the restoration and embellishment of relics...
In July 2020, Decision No. 19/QD-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee on the regulations on management, protection and promotion of the value of historical and cultural relics, landscapes and scenic spots in Nghe An province was issued, decentralizing the management of relics to the grassroots level, creating conditions for localities and communities to be more proactive in protecting, restoring and promoting the value of relics. Thus, if any locality allows a relic to be damaged or violates the Law on Cultural Heritage, that local authority must take responsibility. This new decision is one of the important solutions to limit unnecessary violations in the process of restoring, embellishing and promoting the value of relics. Therefore, to limit violations of the Heritage Law in the process of restoration and embellishment of relics, the Department of Culture and localities need to strengthen training to raise awareness of the work of preserving and embellishing relics, especially for management staff and those who directly look after relics; regularly monitor, inspect and resolutely handle violations in conservation and embellishment activities.
