Architectural and cultural experts together with local leaders share thesame view on the need to preserve the present vista around Hoan KiemLake in Hanoi.

At a workshop held here on October 8, architectTruong Van Quang said that city planners should ensure harmony betweenmodern architecture and the Hoan Kiem Lake environment so that newbuildings would not infringe on its beauty and open spaces.

"Specialold buildings like the Opera House, Government House, the State Bank,the central Post Office, Thuy Ta restaurant should be preserved andregularly upgraded," he said.

"And spiritual places such as BaKieu Temple, Ngoc Son Temple, Ba Da Pagoda and Ly Thai To Park deserveto be similarly respected," he said.

Sharing a similar view,architect Pham Thanh Tung said that special landscapes and architectureshould be respected. He said no more new buildings should be built inthe area.

"We should not be too interested in the idea of turningthe area into a pedestrian-only zone because the existing one-waytraffic system surrounding the lake is very convenient and safe," hesaid.

To Anh Tuan, from the Viet Nam Urban Planning andDevelopment Association, said that a pedestrian zone surrounding HoanKiem Lake was a choice with "not very high convenience".

"Beforewe change the area into a pedestrian zone or any other functional area,we should take great care of the area's existing pre-eminent values," hesaid.

"Any project harming the values and making the area less attractive and less busy will be an expensive failure."

Manyparticipants said that preserving and bringing into full playarchitectural, cultural and historical space of Hoan Kiem Lake requiredcultural managers and the whole community.-VNA