Hoan Kiem landscape to be improved for greener Hanoi

The Hanoi Times — The notorious Ham Ca Map (Shark Jaw) building on Hoan Kiem Lake will be demolished to make way for green space around the most emblematic area of Hanoi.

A three-level underground space for cultural activities, commerce, and parking will also be built on the site.

This building, along with several other private residences and public offices, will be brought down to make room for a public space around Hoan Kiem Lake.

These moves are part of a drive to restructure the architectural landscape of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, an area of high historical and cultural value.

The plan includes the construction of a stage in the square and grandstands on the north side of the Thuy Ta Building, the current site of the "Shark Jaw" building, and the entrance of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater.

Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan has requested a thorough assessment of existing trees, green space planning, and careful research on the placement of light towers and lighting design in the area.

Meanwhile, the Hoan Kiem District People's Committee will develop an urban design plan for the northern area of Hoan Kiem Lake and Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square.

Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, former vice chairman of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association, said the idea of redesigning the Hoan Kiem Lake area has been around since 1995. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive plan to enhance the eastern part of Hoan Kiem Lake with more public and open spaces.

The new square should be large enough to improve Hoan Kiem Lake's overall landscape quality and appeal, according to architect Pham Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Landscape Architects and Head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Hanoi University of Civil Engineering. A park to be built in the eastern area of Hoan Kiem Lake should have an ecological approach with minimal concrete use, he said.

Pham Thanh Tung, Chief of the Office of the Vietnam Architects Association, supports the city's plan, saying that Hoan Kiem Lake is a unique cultural and historical heritage of the capital and the country.

"The lake has historical significance. Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square is the symbol of the reform movements of patriotic scholars in the early 20th century. The French also used the area for public executions of revolutionaries," he told the online newspaper Tuoi Tre (Youth).

Removing tall buildings and creating open public spaces will make the area a cultural and creative hub, attracting tourists and boosting Hanoi’s economy, he said.

This is an opportunity to transform the capital's urban landscape and make Hanoi more friendly and attractive, in line with its title as a 'City for Peace' and the commitment it made when joining the Creative Cities Network, Tung said.

It is necessary to get people's approval for the plan because the "Shark Jaw" building was once a Hanoi tram station and has sentimental values, he suggested. Hanoi should find a way to preserve this memory in the new park.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc welcomed the plan to use prime land for public spaces and parks. He said the new open space in the eastern area of Hoan Kiem Lake will preserve traces of Hanoi's early industrial era.

"Hanoi should keep some historical relics in the park to remind people of its colonial past before its modern transformation," he said.

Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square is named after a patriotic movement led by Vietnamese scholars and officials in the early 20th century. The name of the square meant the Tonkin Free School, which aimed to reform Vietnamese society under the French protectorate and was associated with some famous patriots like Luong Van Can, Phan Boi Chau, and Phan Chau Trinh.

Nowadays, the square is surrounded by the streets of Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Cau Go, and Hoan Kiem Lake and dotted with some buildings of little architectural significance such as the Long Van - Hong Van buildings, the Ho Guom Cultural Information Center, and the Thuy Ta Building.