Cham Tower in Da Nang after restoration: Bricks are crumbling, peeling off in many places, salting

After completing the restoration in December 2022, the two towers, the North Tower and the Middle Tower, belonging to the Khuong My Cham Tower complex, Tam Xuan Commune, Da Nang City, were seriously degraded.

The North Tower and the Middle Tower are two of three towers including the North Tower, the Middle Tower and the South Tower belonging to the Cham tower relic complex in Khuong My, Tam Xuan Commune, Da Nang City, ranked as a National Historical Relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 1989.

The North Tower and the Middle Tower were restored in 2019, with a total cost of 12.6 billion VND, to be completed at the end of 2022. However, after just over 2 years of restoration, the North Tower and the Middle Tower have seriously degraded.

“Two years ago, a group came to restore the towers but did not achieve the desired results. After just over two years, the towers have seriously degraded. Previously, many tourists came to visit, but in recent years, the number of visitors has decreased because the towers have degraded. We hope that the authorities will soon effectively restore the towers to preserve this precious relic,” said Mr. Nguyen Duc, a local resident.

Currently, many locations of the North Tower have crumbling bricks. In the newly restored walls of the North Tower, many bricks are peeling and salting. The brick material in many newly restored walls is easily crumbled when lightly impacted.

The Middle Tower is also seriously degraded after more than 2 years of restoration. The South Tower is being restored but for unknown reasons, construction has stopped recently.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Dan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tam Xuan Commune, Da Nang City, said that Khuong My Cham Tower was ranked as a National Historical Relic in 1989. Since then, the tower has been invested in restoration and embellishment of the tower body, fence and management house.

However, over time and weather conditions, especially the difference in materials and technology used for restoration compared to the original materials, the project has deteriorated. The commune hopes that Da Nang city and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will soon have a restoration project to protect and preserve the relic.

Ms. Hoang Thi Bich Hanh, Director of the Quang Nam Monuments and Museum Management Board, said that after more than 1,000 years of existence, the Khuong My Cham tower relic has seriously degraded.

To ensure the stability and prevent degradation of the relic, serve the exploitation and promotion of the value of the tower, in 2019, Quang Nam province (old) coordinated with specialized agencies at the central and local levels to renovate and restore the North and Middle towers in the tower body and the East door. In December 2022, the project to renovate and restore the North and Middle towers was completed, accepted and put into use.

“Immediately after discovering the peeling and crumbling of bricks at the Khuong My Cham tower relic, the Relic Management Board and Quang Nam Museum surveyed, evaluated and reported to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang city about this situation.

The inspection results showed that the crumbling and peeling bricks mainly occurred in the restored items of the North Tower, with the affected area accounting for less than 30% of the restored area. The phenomenon of salting and moss appeared in the restored items of the North Tower and the Middle Tower,” said Director of the Quang Nam Monuments and Museum Management Board Hoang Thi Bich Hanh.

According to the Director of the Quang Nam Monuments and Museums Management Board, the Board has requested the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to allow minor repairs to the monument by replacing the restored but crumbling and peeling bricks with durable materials, similar in material, shape, size, weight and ensuring aesthetics to limit the deterioration of the monument.

The unit wishes that the specialized agency research and determine the root cause of the deterioration of the Cham tower at Khuong My to have a more sustainable plan to preserve the relic.

The people’s concerns about the effectiveness of the conservation project for these two towers are well-founded. On the other hand, the desire to find the root cause of the rapid deterioration of the towers by the local government and the management unit of the Khuong My tower group needs a clear answer from the authorities./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thap-cham-o-da-nang-sau-trung-tu-gach-mun-nat-nhieu-noi-bong-troc-muoi-hoa-post1062088.vnp