Expanding Hoan Kiem Lake space is necessary
Speaking with Thanh Nien , Dr. Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, Vice President of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association, expressed that in the current context, expanding the heritage space of Hoan Kiem Lake (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi) is very necessary and should be done.
Hoan Kiem Lake is associated with the legend of King Le Loi returning the sword to the divine turtle. PHOTO: NGUYEN TRUONG
According to Dr. Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, expanding the space of Hoan Kiem Lake to create connections with surrounding areas has been a problem since 1995. However, after 30 years, this has not been possible due to lack of investment capital and land clearance costs.
Regarding the policy of researching planning and renovating the area east of Hoan Kiem Lake in the direction of increasing public space and open space, Dr. Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem suggested that the authorities need to have an overall picture.
In the “picture”, it must show how the expansion to the east of Hoan Kiem Lake is, how the west is, then the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc square area, the area where milestone number 0 is located… At the same time, there must be a connection with underground station C9 of urban railway line No. 2, Nam Thang Long – Tran Hung Dao section (under Dinh Tien Hoang street).
Once we have an overall picture, we will choose the priority order of investment in open space around Hoan Kiem Lake. Because currently, on the west side of Hoan Kiem Lake, there is also a statue of King Le Thai To, the king associated with the legend of returning the precious sword to the Golden Turtle God in Hoan Kiem Lake. However, this area is isolated from the space of Hoan Kiem Lake,” said Mr. Nghiem.
People hope that the expansion of Hoan Kiem Lake will soon become a reality. PHOTO: NGUYEN TRUONG
Hope it comes true soon
Upon hearing the news that the Hanoi People’s Committee had a policy to expand the space of Hoan Kiem Lake, Mr. Vu Hai Bang (76 years old, in Hang Gai Ward, Hoan Kiem District) expressed his joy and excitement.
According to Mr. Bang, every day many people come to Hoan Kiem Lake to enjoy the scenery. Currently, the open space around Hoan Kiem Lake is still very modest. “Expanding public space around Hoan Kiem Lake is very practical. This not only benefits the current generation but also our future generations. I hope this will soon become a reality,” Mr. Bang said.
Architect Tran Huy Anh, Standing Member of the Hanoi Architects Association, assessed that the policy of expanding public space around Hoan Kiem Lake recently proposed by the Hanoi People’s Committee is “a bit slow but never too late”.
“This is the hope of Hanoians. Expanding public space is necessary because Hoan Kiem Lake has never had such a dense density of activities as it does now. This area is overloaded,” said Mr. Anh.
Hoan Kiem Lake is a natural freshwater lake located in the center of Hanoi, with an area of about 12 hectares and a circumference of 1.7 km. The name Hoan Kiem appeared in the early 15th century, associated with the legend of King Le Loi returning the precious sword to the divine turtle.
Around Hoan Kiem Lake, there are many headquarters such as Hanoi People’s Committee, Hanoi Post Office, Hanoi Electricity… and many houses. To the east of the lake, there are relics: Bao An Pagoda, Ly Thai To Flower Garden, Ba Kieu Temple…
In addition to the policy of expanding the space east of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi City is also planning and organizing the architectural landscape space of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, where the “shark jaw” (Ham Ca Map) building is located.
Source: thanhnien.vn
Source: Vietnam Insider