ABSTRACT

On 1 August 2020, wrecking balls began to demolish the Catholic cathedral in Bui Chu town, in the Vietnamese province of Nam Dinh, putting an end to more than a decade of lively debate over whether the 1885 cathedral building was to be preserved. The losing camp had favoured retaining the original structure and taking essential steps to enhance its integrity and safety; the prevailing camp argued to demolish the old church and replace it with a (larger) replica built with modern construction methods and materials. The present paper examines the positions and alignments among various actors, including church clergy, state officials at different levels, scholars of religion, heritage experts, journalists, and congregation members. These debates involved complex questions of the continuity and value of colonial heritage, the effectiveness of Vietnam’s legal system for protecting built heritage, and the sensitive historical relations between the state and Vietnam’s Catholic minority.

摘要

2020 年 8 月 1 日，破坏球开始拆除越南南定省裴珠镇的天主教大教堂，结束了关于是否要保留 1885 年大教堂建筑的十多年的激烈争论。失败的营地倾向于保留原来的结构，并采取必要措施加强其完整性和安全性；盛行的阵营主张拆除旧教堂，并用现代建筑方法和材料建造的（更大的）复制品取而代之。本文考察了不同参与者之间的立场和联盟，包括教会神职人员、不同级别的国家官员、宗教学者、遗产专家、记者和会众成员。这些辩论涉及殖民遗产的连续性和价值的复杂问题，