Kazimierz Kwiatkowski Memorial Park
As I was walking through the streets of the Hội An old town I came upon a small park. There was an empty bench available with some shade, so I sat down to take a short break from all the walking. After a while I caught myself staring at the statue on the other side of the park. There was just something about it..
I walked closer and read the name. Kazimierz Kwiatkowski. It was not a name I'd ever heard before, but it was definitely Polish. I pulled out my phone and started reading.
Kazimierz Kwiatkowski was an architect who spent the last 16 years of his life in Hội An. He is apparently a well known name in Vietnam and is also known by the names "Kazik", "Znachor", "Healer", and "Man from the Jungle". "Znachor" is curiously a reference to a 1982 Polish movie that apparently became popular in Vietnam as well. The main character has a distinctive beard that seems reminiscent of Kazik's.
So what was a Polish architect doing in Vietnam and why is there a statue of him in Hội An?
In the early 1970s Vietnam was badly damaged and reeling from decades of war. Vietnamese authorities began to look for international help so they could preserve the historic Vietnamese monuments and structures that had survived the fighting. More specifically they were interested in experienced architects who could speak French and Russian and had experience in the conservation of monuments. And so Kazimierz Kwatowski, who had just completed his masters, became the head of the Polish-Vietnamese Monument Conservation Mission and moved to Vietnam.
Kazik spent the first months of his time in Vietnam living in a bamboo hut while overseeing the rescue and restoration of various Vietnamese and Champa monuments and structures. Many invaluable historical artefacts were saved, and even some treasure found along the way. This work continued for a couple years, although eventually I assume he got set up in a proper apartment of some kind.
In 1982 Kazik visited Hội An in order to relax and bathe in the sea. He stumbled upon what is now the old town and began to examine the buildings with interest. He noticed that they had historical significance and began to take notes and ask questions. Turns out that the local authorities had plans to tear the whole lot down. The buildings were old and moldy and so the plan was to tear them all down so they could be replaced with a new housing development.
Kazik became infatuated with the old town and began a campaign to save and restore it. He pleaded with local authorities and eventually was able to convince the right people and secure enough funding to save the whole old town. Because of this he is remembered fondly in Vietnam and has his own memorial park in the centre of Hội An's old town.