Ngo Minh Ngoc, a women of a Kim Lien old apartment building in Hanoi, feels very happy to know that local authorities will soon complete and approve the subdivision planning of the inner city.
“This means that we will no longer live in such an old and bad apartment, which threatens our living every day,” Ngoc told Hanoitimes.
| An old apartment building in Hai Ba Trung district. Photo: Thanh Hai |
Ngoc said Kim Lien old apartment buildings were built about 60 years ago. These buildings are now badly degraded with leaks and cracks, along with ‘Tiger Cage’ - a casual term in Hanoi to denote illegal extensions added to apartment buildings, making them collapsing and dangerous.
Ngoc is among many residents living in the old buildings in the inner city, which includes four districts of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung and Dong Da. They have been for a long time looking forward to the city’s construction and upgrading on new apartment buildings on the old building floors.
The planning is seen as a breakthrough step moving towards a green, civilized and modern Hanoi, creating livelihoods and improving the living standard of people in the city.
Vice chairman of the Vietnam Association for Urban Planning and Development Dao Ngoc Nghiem said this work will bear a hallmark of the city’s development, ensuring the harmony between the preservation of cultural values and new and modern development.
“As the project completed, it will help Hanoi solve big problems including traffic jam, lack of green space and imbalance in infrastructure development. The people’s living standard will be significantly improved,” Nghiem said.
Red River subdivision planning
The subdivision planning on the city’s four inner districts will be carried out at the same time with the Hong (Red) River urban subdivision planning, which plays an important role in the development of the riverside city and is awaited by local people.
| A riverside city on both sides of the Hong (Red) River will be built in Hanoi. Photo: Tran Dung |
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With a total length of about 120km spanning through many districts of Hanoi, the Hong River has for many generations attached to the city’s socio-economic development. However, there is not yet a specific planning for areas along the river banks, so land resources as well as exploitation and promotion of riverside development projects have not been awakened. It has also caused negative impacts on ecological environment, land management and people's life as well.
Chairman of Linh Nam ward People’s Committee in Hoang Mai district Nguyen Dinh Cong said the ward has about 350ha of land along the Hong River banks, where is home to 11,000 people.
Cong said if the Hong River subdivision planning was approved, it would create a big opportunity for the ward to invest in construction projects and promote socio-economic development. “I do believe that the local people’s living standard will be stable when the house building licenses are granted.”
The planning has been published to get ideas from relevant agencies. It is expected to be approved in June this year.
Speaking at a recent conference held in Hanoi, Hanoi Party Secretary Vuong Dinh Hue said this planning is seen as the best one ever thanks to the consultation of leading planning experts.
After the planning is approved, the 40km riverside area, crossing from Hong Ha Bridge in Dan Phuong district to Me So Bridge in Thuong Tin district and covering 11,000 ha of 13 districts, will be mapped out. Local authorities will base on this planning to grant building licenses for local residents.
It is seen as a leap to build up Hanoi a city facing river rather than turning back on the river at present.
Deputy Director of Hanoi Planning and Architecture Nguyen Trong Ky Anh said Hanoi’s urban development will strongly develop in the future marching with its 2025 target of fast and sustainable development, moving towards a green, smart and modern city and becoming more competitive in the country and region.
