People exercise in Thượng Thanh Flower Garden, located on Gia Quất Street in Long Biên District's Thượng Thanh Ward. — Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Thousands of local residents in Long Biên District, Hà Nội have been making the most of a series of new flower gardens following the district's decision to invest in green spaces five years ago.

The gardens provide green spaces and places to gather or exercise, contributing to improving the quality of life for local people.

Nguyễn Thị Oanh of Residential Group No 22, Bồ Đề Ward, said she enjoyed exercising in Bồ Đề Xanh Flower Garden at the end of Hoàng Như Tiếp Street every day.

"The flower garden has outdoor fitness equipment for people to exercise on. It’s really convenient,” she said.

After training with the shoulder and hip rotation equipment, she moves onto the cycling machine. Oanh said many local people, including youngsters and the elderly, came to the flower gardens to exercise every day.

The same atmosphere can be seen at Thượng Thanh Flower Garden. The garden, located on Gia Quất Street, Thượng Thanh Ward, also attracted many people, especially the elderly, walk and exercise there on a daily basis, the Hà Nội Mới (New Hà Nội) online newspaper reported.

Lê Văn Thu, a resident of Residential Group No 3, Thượng Thanh Ward, said the garden was a good place to exercise or go for a walk because it was spacious and airy.

Thu said he and his elderly friends used to travel a long way to find somewhere they could exercise, so they had been making the most of the garden since it opened.

Đồng Phương Hồng, a resident of Residential Group 27, Ngọc Thụy Ward, said the garden was very close to his house.

The garden had green trees, a lighting system and outdoor fitness equipment, so many came to walk, enjoy the fresh air and exercise every day, he said.

Bồ Đề Xanh Flower Garden, which is over 10,000sq.m, opened in 2018, while Thượng Thanh Flower Garden, covering an area of more than 14,249sq.m, opened earlier this month.

The two flower gardens have large squares and a stage for performing arts and cultural activities, as well as community events.

Nguyễn Mạnh Trình, vice chairman of the district's People's Committee, said Long Biên District was established in 2003 after it was separated from Gia Lâm District.

Since its foundation, the district administration had always focused on investment in infrastructure, he added.

The district has invested in 12 new flower gardens with a total area of 5.8ha, and planted 28,571 trees, creating an environmentally-friendly landscape and providing a place of entertainment and exercise for people, he said.

The district also worked hard to maintain the gardens, and workers felp rom the local environmental sanitation company often cut the grass and tended to the trees, he said.

Additionally, every Saturday people from nearby residential groups also help clean the gardens.

The district has plans to build more flower gardens so that each ward has its own, providing more green space and entertainment areas to improve the quality of life for local residents. — VNS