Hanoi suspends sale of 600 villas pending conservation review

At a Tuesday press meet, Truong Viet Dung, spokesman for the Hanoi People’s Committee, said the administration has suspended the sale of 600 century-old villas pending a comprehensive review.

“Following the review, the city would announce its results, including issues regarding conservation and management of empty villas,” he said.

On April 8, Hanoi announced a decision on managing and using public villas built before 1954. Under this, 600 villas were to be sold to generate funds for renovation and restoration of the capital’s ancient structures. Most of villas are in Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da and Tay Ho districts in the city downtown.

The city currently has around 1,216 villas, including 367 state-owned ones, 117 privately owned and some a mix of public and private ownership, or co-owned by several households.

Officials had said earlier that many of the villas have become dilapidated over the years and the capital city lacked the funds to repair and renovate them. The majority of the villas have been around for a 100 years or so, they noted.