Overview of Red River in Hanoi. Photo: Tran Dung/Kinhtedothi

The project will cover an area of 11,000 ha stretching 40 km from Hong Ha bridge to Me So bridge, containing 55 communes in 13 districts. Much of the project area is in the Red River flood relief area, which will make the project more challenging, but it already has the support of local people.

Tran Van Tieu, a resident of Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district, says, 'We have been waiting a long time for such a plan. We expect the project to help people living on both banks of the river to stabilize their lives and make the city a more civilized modern urban area.'

The project will develop 8 areas beside the river into modern urban centers with environment-friendly, flood-resistant buildings with public car parks on the ground floor. The buildings will be surrounded by open spaces, parks, and squares. When he was Party Secretary of Hanoi, current NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that urban development on both banks of the Red River should aim at convenience and green urban areas with flood relief as the first priority.

'The Red River should become a green corridor that spotlights the river and provides a harmonious space for development on both banks. The dyke system, flood resistance, and the lives of the people living in the project area should be taken into account,' said Mr. Hue.

Professor Dr. Dang Hung Vo said that a good plan for the banks of the Red River will create a green urban ecosystem which will support Hanoi’s economy and create jobs for local residents. Tran Ngoc Chinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Urban Development Planning Association, said the Red River will become a place where both local people and visitors can get a full sense of the river’s unique culture.