With no wood-fired kilns left, Hoi An ancient town patches its roofs with tin and tarps

Tarps and metal roofing are encroaching on the yin-yang tiled roofs and open-air lightwells of Hoi An's old houses, spoiling the heritage landscape of the UNESCO-listed town in central Vietnam.

Hoi An Ancient Town was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999. It has more than 1,000 old houses and relics, over 80% of them privately or collectively owned.

Time, natural disasters and floods have left many old houses dilapidated. With replacements for Hoi An's traditional yin-yang roof tiles hard to find, residents have resorted to corrugated metal and tarps to stop leaks.

The owner of an old house has welded a frame to hang a black tarp amid the red tiled roofs.

Pham Phu Ngoc, director of the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, said residents are allowed to put up light awnings of 0.8-1 sq.m over the eaves of lightwell courtyards to keep out the rain. But covering a lightwell entirely with a tarp, or building a frame to mount a roof over it, does not comply with the regulations, because the yin-yang tiled roofs are integral to the ancient town's relics.

On Tran Phu Street, in the core of the pedestrian zone, a street-front house has had to make do with metal roofing, which has decayed over time.

Ngoc said some households put up tarps only as a temporary fix after heavy rain caused severe leaks. But the metal roofs on many homes in the old town have faded, a sign they were fitted long ago.

Large sheets of metal and tarps on many houses strip the old town of its antique look. Seen from above, the old roofs are interspersed with tarps and with new-style tiles that are gradually replacing the yin-yang ones.

A house next to a cafe at 92 Tran Phu Street has replaced its yin-yang tiles with metal sheets or new-style tiles. A tarp laid over its yin-yang tiles has decayed over time and looks shabby.

A large old house recently had to clear shrubs growing right on its tiled roof. Its central courtyard is also covered with umbrellas and parasols.

"The lightwell is the breathing space of an old house and a signature architectural feature with feng shui meaning that helps air circulate. Putting up a metal roof, stretching a tarp or building a frame to cover a lightwell without permission is absolutely not allowed, because it looks shabby, breaks up the architectural space and spoils the town's appearance from above," said Vo Phung, former director of the Hoi An Culture and Sports Center.

To brace for storms, some metal-roofed houses in the old quarter are reinforced with wood, tires and other items.

Large tarps in many colors cover entire balconies. Ngoc said a dedicated team still carries out daily inspections and will require households to take them down and make repairs.

Large tarps in many colors cover entire balconies. Ngoc said a dedicated team still carries out daily inspections and will require households to take them down and make repairs.

Large tarps in many colors cover entire balconies. Ngoc said a dedicated team still carries out daily inspections and will require households to take them down and make repairs.

Inside, many tiles, roof parts, rafters and battens are badly damaged. Authorities have repeatedly helped residents tie down roofs with cables and wooden posts. Some households have strung tarps underneath to catch leaks, but still fear broken tiles and parts could fall at any moment.

The altar room of the house at 68 Tran Phu Street has been fully covered with tarps because of frequent leaks through its yin-yang tiled roof.

Nguyen Tan Cuong, chairman of the Hoi An Ward People's Committee, said the ward and the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center have met and set up coordination rules to deal with issues involving dilapidated old houses.

Sidewalks are shrinking as businesses put up posts to hold makeshift awnings. Movable tarps used by shops and eateries also mar the look of many sidewalks.

To shade goods displayed along the sidewalk, many street-front houses have put up colorful tarps without permission. "We will review and require households to comply with the regulations to protect the old town's landscape," Cuong said.