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The effectiveness of Sword Lake promenade deployment
By Anh Kiet 13:35, 2016/11/07
Taking a leisurely walk through the pedestrian areas surrounding the Sword Lake in downtown Hanoi has quickly become a hit to local and international tourists on the weekends. At the mean time, every one can see there is so much effective advantages.
 
People gather at the walking street around Sword Lake in Hanoi
People gather at the walking street around Sword Lake in Hanoi
Visitors can not only enjoy the shade of the trees and the slower pace of life in this otherwise bustling city, but also a variety of Vietnam’s traditional games. Played in the open space in front of the statue of Hanoi’s suicide defenders, the games include tug of war, Mandarin Square Capturing, rope skipping and stilt walking, as well as bamboo jacks and five people walking on two flip-flops. Although the games are simple, they have enlivened the whole corner of the walking street.

The introduction of traditional games around Sword Lake is part of a project titled My Childhood Memories by MyHanoi. Established in 2006, MyHanoi is one of the first clubs in the capital with in-depth activities introducing Hanoi’s history and culture to the youth. “Our aim is to launch a variety of programmes related to preserving and promoting the city’s cultural values and beauty,” Ngo Quy Duc, manager of the club, said. “Therefore, the whole community, especially the youth, can understand more about the capital and its thousand-year history. That’s why we launched the My Childhood Memories project.”

“My children just had a really great time”, Tran Thuy Linh from Tay Ho District, said, wiping sweat from her daughters’ foreheads. They just joined the tug of war and despite being on the losing team, they still seemed very happy. “Only when we visit my hometown in the rural area do they have so much fun like this,” Linh continued. The kids appear to be more excited with the games, which most of them have never had a chance to try before.
 
Many people invite each other to play folk games on the pedestrian streets
Many people invite each other to play folk games on the pedestrian streets
The boisterous atmosphere in front of the statue of Hanoi’s suicide defenders has drawn the participation of many foreigners too, such as Celie Frederic, a teacher of The Lycée français Alexandre Yersin, an international French school in Hanoi. “My family has been living in the city for nearly 10 years, but this is the first time I have learned and tried playing Vietnam’s traditional games, which was a very exciting and impressive experience,” he said.

Duc, manager of MyHanoi, revealed his future plan of developing the club into a non-profit organisation oriented towards culture and history. “Introducing spiritual values and restoring the old ones: this is what all the members of our club are attempting and treasuring the most.” It is also surprising that these games, thought to be for children only, also attract a huge number of adult participants. For them, it is chance to have fun with the kids and reminisce about their childhood.

According to the Hoan Kiem district authorities, the zone draws tens of thousands of people each day with most arriving in the area at night. Duong Quoc Tuan, chairman of the Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee, said around 1.4 million of international tourists visited the district in nine months. Of which, the number for September alone is 113,000. 

Tuan said the walking zone has proved effectiveness after the trial time, creating a playground and recreation space for residents and visitors alike, while promoting historic values of Sword Lakes and its surrounding area, contributing to tourism development of the district. The success is also attributable to the district’s efforts to ensure security and public order, keep environmental sanitation and organize various cultural and art events in the area. 

The Management Board of Sword Lake areas will carry out the maintenance of  pavements; enhance inspection of urban order, traffic safety, environmental sanitation in areas around Sword Lake. The District's Fatherland Front Committee, political and social organizations will boost communication to encourage members, laborers, local people to well implement regulations on ensuring urban order, traffic safety, environmental sanitation in association with the movement “All people unite to build cultural life”; continue maintaining and expanding “green-clean-beautiful” streets in the coming time.
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