COMPLETION REPORT

Toward the Sustainable Urban Heritage Conservation: A Comparative Study between Ho Chi Minh Cityand Yokohama City and Solutions for Ho Chi Minh CityMs. Nguyen Diep Quy Vy （+3）
Lecturer
Faculty of Urban Studies、University of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh CityHeritage plays a critical role in nurturing cities’ identity and uniqueness and contributes to urban prosperity
with its historic, cultural values that foster tourism and economic activities. The study “Toward Sustainable Urban
Heritage Conservation: A Comparative Study between Ho Chi Minh City and Yokohama City andSolutions for Ho Chi Minh City” compares Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Yokohama City (YC), the two cities
that share common characteristics in terms of history and urban planning, in urban heritage conservation, focusing
on three aspects, including legislation, community development, and urban design for conservation. The purpose isto understand factors that hinder the urban heritage conservation of HCMC and to learn the experience from YC toapply for the case of HCMC. The scope of the study is architectural heritage, consisting of historic buildings andlandscape areas within the central area of HCMC and the downtown of YC. Both quantitative and qualitative
methods, including survey questionnaire, in-depth interview, and observation were employed.
The findings reveal that Yokohama has developed a comprehensive legislation system, adopted mostadvanced urban design techniques, and incorporated various community development programs into its urban
planning and conservation. This ‘triple’ combination between legislation, urban design, and community
development contributes to ensuring the flexible heritage conservation in the context of a modern and fast-changing
city such as Yokohama, making its city centre more unique, appealing, convenient, and prosperous. In relation toHo Chi Minh City, the study indicates that the city’s conservation has been obstructed significantly due to the absenceof a robust legal framework. Although an Action Program for Conservation, a Detailed Plan, together with
Guidelines for Urban Architectural and Landscape Management were already established, not much has been
implemented as a result of lacking incentive schemes, public participation, and professional human resources to doconservation works. Undeveloped measures for specifically realizing what and how to preserve, including athorough inventory, evaluation and classification criteria, and urban design solutions to maintain landscape harmony
and manage the construction process are also concerns.
Based on the experience of Yokohama, a number of solutions were proposed for the conservation ofHCMC’s central area, particularly what relates to the legal framework, urban design, and public participation
strategies. By learning from YC and other cities, HCMC could shorten its path towards the sustainable urban heritage
conservation.

Publication of the Results of Research Project:Verbal Presentation- Presentation title: Urban Heritage Conservation - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Yokohama City, Japan.
Presenter: Nguyen Diep Quy Vy
Date: Friday October 23rd 2015
Participants and Venue: Students of the Japanese Program at The University of Findlay, Ohio, The United States- Public lecture title: Conservation and Modernization for Urban Development in Ho Chi Minh City.
Presenter: Nguyen Diep Quy Vy
Date: Tuesday November 3rd , 2015
Participants and Venue: Lecturers and students of The University of Findlay, Ohio, The United States.
Research Report:- Title: Towards Urban Heritage Conservation: A Comparative Study between Ho Chi Minh City andYokohama City and Solutions for Ho Chi Minh City.
- Authors:
Nguyen Diep Quy Vy, M.A., Lecturer, Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities,
VietnamSaori Kashihara, M.A., Doctor of Philosophy Candidate, University of Tokyo, Japan
Nobuharu Suzuki, Dr., Urban Planner – Professor, Yokohama City University, Japan
Pham Phu Cuong, Dr., Architect – Lecturer, Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, Vietnam
Journal articles:
Findings of the research will be used for international journal publications. Tentative journals which will be thetargets of publications include:- Journal of Urban Studies, ISSN: 1360-063X- International Journal of Architectural Heritage, ISSN: 1558-3058- International Journal of Heritage Studies, ISSN: 1352-7258
Tentative deadline: The end of 2016.
The authors would also like to use the findings for sending conference papers to the 7th International Academic
Consortium for Sustainable Cities (7th IACSC) organized by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang,
Malaysia in September 2016, and for holding seminars at Departments that have participated in providing
information for the completion of this research, including Ho Chi Minh City Department for Planning andArchitecture and Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Development Studies.