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Ha Noi suspends villa sell-off
Ha Noi authorities have backed down from selling 206 State-owned old villas, according to Phi Thai Binh, deputy chairman of the municipal People’s Committee.
The fate of Ha Noi’s old French-period villas has become a controversial issue. The proposal has been hotly debated in the media and at local People’s Council sessions since the city authorities proposed to sell more than 600 villas earlier this year.
The old villas include 45 rented by companies and 105 used as State offices. Four have an area of over 500sq.m each and four others are rich in architectural value. Forty two villas had already been removed from the proposed sales list and another six are currently rented by families as accommodation.
Since the end of 2008, city authorities have decided not to sell 42 villas rented by companies. Almost of them are located in Ba Dinh District (37 villas), two are located in Hoan Kiem District and three in Hai Ba Trung District.
Villas used as State office are mostly located in Hoan Kiem District (60). The largest villa at 25 Ngo Quyen Street with a total area of 3,400sq.m was used by the Ministry of Trade and Industry until recently.
Of villas more than 500sq.m in size, three are located in Hoan Kiem District and one in Hai Ba Trung District.
Buildings with outstanding architectural value – at 182 Quan Thanh (Ba Dinh District), 87 Ly Thuong Kiet (Hoan Kiem District), and 25 and 28 Nguyen Huy Tu (Hai Ba Trung District) – will also not be sold.
According to Binh, the city is now auditing villas throughout the city to ensure that properties meeting the necessary criteria will be added to the list of buildings not for sale. This list will be submitted to the city People’s Council in the near future.
Members of the public and experts are unified in their concerns about the city’s plan to sell off the villas as real estate. They argue that the villas are an irreplaceable part of the city’s heritage.
Architects have asked the city to classify old French-style villas into three kinds: villas that ought to be maintained (which number in the dozens), those that need to be renovated, and villas that require complete reconstruction.
Binh announced that local people and organisations would work with local authorities in order to help people renovate buildings in poor condition, and make best use of the properties.
vietnamnews
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