Mudflats along the Hong (Red) River in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) The move comes after the People’s Committee of Hanoi gave the green light tofour districts, Hoan Kiem, Long Bien, Ba Dinh and Tay Ho, to continue studyingthe project “Developing mudflats in the middle and along the Hong (Red) Riverinto a multi-purpose cultural park.”
The plan is based on the principle of restoring natural parks, urban parks andpublic spaces to serve the people.
Pham Quoc Tuyen, deputy director of the city’s Planning and ArchitectureDepartment told Kinh te & Do thi (Economics and Urban Affairs) onlinenewspaper that the People's Committee of the city had decided to approve theRed River Urban Subdivision Planning at the scale of 1/5000, which is animportant basis for research and planning development of the mudflats.
According to the principles, the establishment of green parks and tourism spotsmust comply with two important master plans, consisting of the Planning ondykes and flood prevention; and the adjustment of the Capital Master Planapproved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1259, he said.
The Red River Urban Subdivision Planning has identified the functionalsubdivision of each area, and assigned tasks for agencies in the next stage, hesaid.
Districts will review the residential clusters in the areas then make detailedplanning and submit to authorities for approval as a basis for management andimplementation of land use in the mudflats, he said.
Currently, the People's Committees of districts are measuring, mapping andplanning the mudflats. Next, they will work with the city’s Agriculture andRural Development Department for submitting the planning, he said.
Mudflats in the middle and along of the river is an area has been accreted byalluvium for many years, he said.
Dozens of hectares of the mudflats have been left for decades and weeds havegrown and some areas are illegally occupied for vegetable cultivation, he said.
Due to the limited land funds in the city and the lack of places for people toplay and relax, many areas of the mudflats have become spontaneousentertainment spots, potentially posing the risk of insecurity and causingenvironmental pollution, he said.
Therefore, the formulation of the project aims to effectively exploit the landfund, find potential advantages and natural beauty of the river, creating anopen and green space as an attractive tourist for locals and visitors, he said.
For the mudflat in the middle of the river, Hoan Kiem district plans toestablish an agricultural tourism area, where still allow local people to growshort-term plants, he said.
The area will have a creative space, a playground, a lawn interspersed withexisting perennials; functional areas for entertainment and sports (such asgrass skating rink) according to natural terrain; functional areas for fishingand diving, he said.
The mudflat along the river will become a green park, an area for plantingshort-term trees, ornamental plants, seasonal flowers, combining to servetourists, he said.
Potential space
According to the architects, the mudflat in the middle of the river will be apotential space to exploit as public space.
However, during the implementation process, the district authorities areadvised to carefully consult with experts, scientists and people to ensureeffective exploitation of the land fund but still ensure safety as well asprevent erosion and flood drainage.
All must be in line with the orientations of the Red River Urban SubdivisionPlanning and the Capital Construction Master Plan by 2030 and a vision towards2050.
Le Thi Bich Thuan, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Federation of CivilEngineering Association, said according to the orientation of the Capital ConstructionMaster Plan, the river bank area in Hoan Kiem district is identified to belongthe city's green corridor.
The area will be used to plant green trees and set up entertainment spots, shesaid.
The potential is very clear, but the problem is how to effectively exploit theland fund in the mudflats in the middle and along the river in accordance withregulations on flood prevention and dykes, she said.
If effectively exploiting the advantages of the river, it will form a touristattraction for not only local people but also people across the country,supplementing the open space for the Old Quarter, she said./.
VNA
