Heritage-Based Evaluation Criteria for French Colonial Architecture on Le Loi Street, Hue, Vietnam

The architectural legacy of the French colonial period forms a key part of Vietnam’s urban identity, especially in Hue. Yet, this heritage is rapidly declining: from over 240 structures in 2000, fewer than 100 remain today. This study introduces a heritage-based evaluation framework to assess and preserve French colonial buildings using Le Loi Street, Hue’s historic “Western quarter” as a pilot site. Fourteen colonial-era buildings were systematically assessed through field surveys and expert consultation. A total of 40 specialists participated in the criteria development process, and eight selected experts conducted detailed building evaluations. The final framework includes three main categories and nine specific criteria, based on a 100-point scale, incorporating architectural integrity, historical and cultural significance, contextual fit, and adaptive reuse potential. The results show that all the surveyed buildings qualify as Group A or B, warranting strict conservation or minimal renovation. The study emphasizes the value of localized, expert-informed approaches to heritage planning. The research provides a practical foundation for integrating historic architecture into context-sensitive urban conservation strategies in Hue and comparable Southeast Asian contexts.