The Hanoi People's Committee has agreed to open another pedestrian zone on weekends, offering communal space where visitors could enjoy culinary arts.

The project aims to raise awareness of the monuments' historical and cultural significance while preserving a venue for locals to practice culinary skills.

The pedestrian zone, which covers four streets on the shore of Thien Quang Lake in Hai Ba Trung District and its surroundings, including Thong Nhat Park, will form a large walking area on about 1.1 ha of land, including 0.48 ha of water surface.

The area aims to bolster cultural and architectural values, enhance urban aesthetics, and develop tourism in the area.

Green space in the campus of Thien Quang Lake, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi. Photo: Tien Tuan

To carry out the project, Hai Ba Trung District's authorities are tasked with consulting the community to obtain their consensus. In addition, the district must develop a plan to reorganize traffic and parking.

Over the past weeks, the district authorities have been studying a new pedestrian street, including Thong Nhat Park, to boost the night-time economy.

The pedestrian zone around Thien Quang Lake would be the fourth in Hanoi. Hanoi unveiled its first walking street in Hoan Kiem District in 2004. By 2021, Hoan Kiem walking streets were expanded to cover a much larger area, including 20 streets near the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter.

The second is Trinh Cong Son walking street in Tay Ho District. The street, a tribute to the late musician Trinh Cong Son, a celebrated Vietnamese musician, songwriter, painter, and poet, has been closed to traffic on weekends for pedestrians and night activities since 2018. 

Hanoi's third pedestrian zone around Son Tay Citadel was opened in May 2022.

In 2016, Thanh Xuan District drew up a plan for a pedestrian zone on Nguyen Quy Duc Street for the night and commercial services. Although the street was planned to be opened to the public in 2017, the date has been postponed, and little progress has been made on this plan.

Hanoi has planned to open another walking space around Ngoc Khanh Lake in Ba Dinh District.