HÀ NỘI — A company has proposed building a history and culture complex near part of the Tô Lịch River which runs through western side of  Hà Nội city by 2026.

Nhật Việt Company recently made a proposal to the Hà Nội authorities to recover the river, which was once one of the capital city’s most beautiful rivers.

“This project is initiated by a Japanese partner,” said Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, Chairman of the Board of Nhật Việt, at a press conference in Hà Nội.

“We are determined to carry out the project in five years from 2021 to 2026. We propose to the committee for scientific research to complete the project.

“We want to listen to all opinions of experts, scientists and Hà Nội residents both positive and negative to complete the project,” Anh said.

The Tô Lịch River is 14km in total length and runs through six districts of Hà Nội. Its starting point is in Nghĩa Đô Ward, of Cầu Giấy District and the ending point flows to Nhuệ River in Hữu Hòa Commune, Thanh Trì District.

This project is good and feasible, according to Professor Đặng Huy Huỳnh, former head of Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technolgy's Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. 

"The river has thousands of years of history and it is polluted seriously because a large amount of wastewater is discharged into it," Huỳnh said. 

"I fully believe in this project. If the project is successful it will not only solve the environmental problem but also turn the river into a historic relic site.

"Of course, it is very difficult to do it because the Tô Lịch River is so polluted. The climate and environment in Việt Nam are quite different from Japan and South Korea. We will apply their technology to clean up the river and turn it into a tourism spot in Hà Nội."

Under the project, after being cleaned up, rows of trees will be planted along the banks of the river. 

Along the river, local residents and tourists will walk and see milestones of national history spanning 4,000 years. 

The river played a very important role in the spiritual life of the people in Hà Nội in the past, according to historian Dương Trung Quốc.

"It was once considered as a protector of ancient Thăng Long-Hà Nội ," he said. "I think the idea to recover the river is quite good because it has been forgotten and heavily polluted for a long time."

Nhật Việt will invite relevant agencies related to history, architecture and environment working together to carry out the project if it is approved by the city's authorities. VNS