An old villa on Võ Văn Tần Street in HCM City’s District 3 is being renovated. — Photo thanhuytphcm.vn

HCM CITY — The HCM 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.

The villas are classified into three groups based on their historical and cultural importance, with detailed regulations for preservation.

Buildings in groups 1 and 2 must be preserved, while buildings in group 3 have little historic or architectural value can be demolished.

Group 1 has 52 old villas, including 10 villas in District 1, 41 villas in District 3, and one in Thủ Đức 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 30 villas in District 1, 39 villas in District 3, four villas in District 5, one villa in Phú Nhuận District and one in Thủ Đức District. The external architectural shape must be maintained.

Group 3 includes six villas in District 1, 17 villas in District 3 and one villa in Bình Thạnh District. Owners of the villas must comply with the laws on building and architectural planning management.

The committee has asked the owners to comply with regulations on renovation and conservation of old villas, the Housing Law, and regulations on the management and use of State-owned villas.

Repairs and renovation must comply with the Law on Cultural Heritage to ensure the protection of cultural, art or historical value of the villas.

The owners of old villas classified in groups 1 and 2 are not allowed to change the original structure or demolish the villas if they are not included on the Department of Construction’s list of buildings at a high risk of collapse or are seriously damaged.

The city’s Department of Construction and the people’s committees of districts will supervise and inspect the management of the pre-1975 villas and will strictly handle illegal dismantling or demolition.

About 900 villas in the city were built before 1975. Most of them are privately owned. Many have been demolished or have fallen into disrepair in recent years. Some old villas have been renovated to become schools, restaurants or coffee shops. — VNS