Ho Chi Minh City to revamp 155-year-old Thu Ngu Flag Tower
Thursday, August 27, 2020, 17:38 GMT+7
Classified as a city-level heritage site, Thu Ngu Flag Tower in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City will be renovated in a restorative-leaning direction, the city's administration has decided.
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has commissioned the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, Department of Planning and Architecture and its subsidiary — the Architecture Research Center — to revamp Thu Ngu Flag Tower, a historical site located in the Bach Dang Wharf of downtown District 1.
The city's leaders have settled on the restoration option, which strives to retain the current architectural appearance of the structure while altering its ground level.
This course of renovation also commits to preserving features with historical and architectural significance in the original design.
Inputs from experts at specialized institutions, including Ho Chi Minh City’s Association of Historical Sciences and the Association of Architects, were also called in during the comprehensive design phase to ensure public consensus on the renovation plan.
Thu Ngu Flag Tower was originally completed in October 1865 as a signal device for ferries navigating the interweaving streams in the Saigon – Gia Dinh area.
During its 155-year history, Thu Ngu Flag Tower and its surrounding area have undergone eight instances of appearance modifications, the latest of which took place in 2011.
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| An aerial view of the Thu Ngu Flag Tower in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre |
During a certain phase, the ground structure of this flag tower was used as a gallery dedicated to vintage images of Saigon – the former name of Ho Chi Minh City.
Alongside the Bach Dang Wharf, Nha Rong Harbor and Mong Bridge, Thu Ngu Flag Tower holds a notable magnitude in the historical canon of Ho Chi Minh City and is seen as a witness to the urban development of the southern metropolis.
On a related note, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has also directed the Department of Planning and Architecture on the renovation project of Bach Dang Wharf, specifically the area that surrounds Thu Ngu Flag Tower.
This project aims to return the Saigon River to its former grace by identifying, reporting, and dismantling encroaching structures in the area.
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