Parents and children at Thống Nhất Park in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

HÀ NỘI — Authorities in the capital have issued plans to renovate and upgrade 34 parks and flowers gardens in inner districts of the city by 2025, to better serve local people. 

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, head of the Technical Infrastructure Office under the Hà Nội’s Construction Department, said under the plan, 13 parks and flower gardens will receive major repairs.

These parks are Bách Thảo, Thủ Lệ and Thống Nhất. The flower gardens consist of Bà Kiệu, Lý Thái Tổ, Diên Hồng, Cổ Tân, Bác Cổ, Tao Đàn, Ngô Quyền, 19-8, Cửa Nam and Phùng Hưng, he said.

The Hà Nội Mới (New Hà Nội) online newspaper reported that main and degraded areas will be prioritised for renovation, creating a highlight of landscape architecture by planting more flowers and ornamental plants, and repairing or adding lighting systems, toilets, park seats, trash cans, drainage systems and sprinklers. 

Ten other parks, Linh Đàm, Bắc Linh Đàm, Linh Đàm Peninsula, Ba Mẫu, Nghĩa Đô, Cầu Giấy, Đền Lừ, Indira Gandhi, Nguyễn Trãi, Hòa Bình and 22 other flower gardens will have walkways fixed, flowers and plants additionally grown, and lighting systems repaired.

"The money to renovate and upgrade the 45 parks and flower gardens will be drawn from the city and the districts' budgets," he said.

Implementation

Companies that are assigned to operate the parks and flower gardens in the city have worked with the appropriate management authorities to come up with the plan.

Ma Kiên Hán, deputy general director of Thống Nhất Park Co., Ltd, said the company has coordinated with the Hà Nội Urban Planning Institute and the Management Board of Investment and Construction to complete the detailed planning. 

The company has also coordinated with the People's Committee of Hai Bà Trưng District to set up a walking street around Thiền Quang Lake connecting with Thống Nhất Park, he said.

According to the orientation, the park will be operated as an open park with free entrance for everyone (instead of selling tickets for visitors as before); piloting utility service models to serve visitors; and setting aside areas to promote the reading culture, organise trade fairs and set up vending kiosks, he added.

Tạ Nam Chiến, chairman of the People's Committee of the Ba Đình District, said they have already issued a plan to upgrade local parks and flower gardens in January.

Therefore, the district's management board of investment and construction projects and the people's committees at the ward level have already been assigned to carry out the plan, he said.

As scheduled, two flower gardens of Vạn Xuân and Lê Trực will be repaired this year and finished next year, he said.

Furthermore, areas for growing trees in the district is now only 40.5 ha, equal to 1.71sq.m per person. The number is still much lower than the standard number. The standard number is 3.5sq.m per person, he said.

The district is planning to set up new flower gardens in areas of Út Tu Pond, Bãi Mả – Voi Phục, Quần Ngựa – Liễu Giai in 2024, he said.

Trịnh Hoàng Tùng, director of the Hoàn Kiếm District's management board of investment and construction projects, said the district will renovate flower gardens of Lý Thái Tổ, Diên Hồng, Tao Đàn and Cửa Nam this year to better serve the needs of local people. — VNS