Story 2: Strange but familiar Hanoi with endless changes

A corner of Hanoi (Photo: Minh Son / Vietnam +)

Hanoi (VNA) - The past two decades have witnessed a significant change in Hanoi in every aspect from area, population to economic growth, national defense and security, and diverse culture.

According to Michael Croft, Chief Representative of UNESCO Office in Vietnam, basically, in the process of development, Hanoi has overcome war consequences  to become a political, economic and cultural center of the nation with impressive achievements. In addition, Hanoi has been quite effectively implementing policies towards sustainable development, balancing growth and environmental protection.

Breakthrough decision

In 2008, Hanoi was expanded its administrative boundaries from an area of 924 square km to 3,344 square km. Previously, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 108 on June 20, 1998 on approving the adjustment of the master plan of Hanoi until 2020, of which, priority was given to development investment in the north of the Red River. Here, a new Hanoi will be formed, including the areas of north Thang Long-Van Tri, Dong Anh-Co Loa, Gia Lam-Sai Dong-Yen Vien, continuing to implement development projects in south Thang Long.

According to Mr. Dao Ngoc Nghiem, former chief architect of Hanoi city, it is a breakthrough compared to previous plans. The urbanization process of Hanoi has been focused on expanding to the north of the Red River, creating the foundation for the formation and development of new districts such as Long Bien, connecting and bridging the gap between the past capital Co Loa in Dong Anh district with the current central Ba Dinh area.

Hanoi is a place where East-West meets, traditions and modernity intertwine (Photo: Minh Son / Vietnam +)

Currently, Hanoi has become an urban cluster with a central urban area and five satellite towns namely Hoa Lac, Son Tay, Xuan Mai, Soc Son and Phu Xuyen.

Along with that, the population size of Hanoi is constantly expanding. At the time of receiving the title "City for Peace", Hanoi's population was about 2.5 million, and its population has tripled.

According to Michael Croft, although facing many challenges of urbanization, Hanoi has always made an impression to international visitors and friends for its peace, friendliness and hospitality.

Cultural rendezvous

Along with adjusting the general planning, many initiatives have been implemented in recent years to make Hanoi a cultural and creative rendezvous.

In the journey to explore Hanoi, Hoan Kiem pedestrian zone and Hanoi Book Street are places that are hard to ignore.

Hanoi Book Street, officially put into operation in April 2017, was built on December 19 Street - the place used to be the Hades Market, a place associated with the heroic history of the capital in the early days of the nation.

Once upon a time, this was a mass grave - the burial place of the soldiers of Hanoi who died on December 19, 1946. The market with that special name existed until the end of 2008. After that, this street functioned mainly as a parking area. Therefore, turning this street into a book city is very significant. It is not only a place for exchanging books but also a meeting place for exchanges between authors and readers, said poet Bang Viet.

Hoan Kiem walking zone becomes a cultural rendezvous of Hanoi (Photo: Vietnam +)

Besides, the Hoan Kiem pedestrian zone also brings visitors many interesting experiences.

To increase the attraction of the pedestrian space, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has strengthened many cultural and artistic activities. In addition, there are many activities by individuals and clubs performing themselves such as street violinists, elderly dances, psychic painting, among others.

Beside book street, pedestrian street, many other art and creative spaces also appear more and more and become closer to people and tourists.

Panoramic picture of mural painting on Phung Hung Street. (Photo: Minh Son / Vietnam +)

According to Associate Professor and Doctor Bui Quang Thang at the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts, such spaces contribute to creating an identity for the city. This is also one of the bases for Hanoi to become one of the three major cultural industrial centers of the country, becoming an innovative city, aiming to have an important position in the region and Asia at large./.