VietNamNet Bridge - After instructing relevant agencies to research and collect opinions on the construction of a parking lot in Thong Nhat Park, the Hanoi People's Committee has approved a parking lot project in this park.

The approval document is signed by Hanoi’s Vice Chair Nguyen Van Khoi, which says that the Hanoi authorities allow the Hanoi Urban Management Board to build an underground and ground car park in Thong Nhat Park.

The carpark will be built on a total area of 2.384m2, at a cost of VND166 billion ($8.3 million,) in 2013-2015.

Senior architect Nguyen Ngoc Nghiem told VietNamNet that the above decision only allows the research of a carpark project in Thong Nhat Park, not to build a car park. Thus, this project is still in the stage of research, surveys and collecting people’s opinion.

However, Nghiem insisted that this project should not be implemented because it will narrow the public space and the green space of the capital city.

"In my personal view, it is not advisable to build a ground car park. Hanoi should choose the plan to build an underground parking to not infringe upon the land of trees and not break the landscape of the park," Nghiem said.

Architect Tran Trong Hanh, former Rector of the Hanoi Architecture University also shared the same opinion with architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem.

"Hanoi should carefully consider this project. Thong Nhat is a large park and its role is the space for the community, a "green lung," green space of Hanoi. It is unreasonable to sacrifice trees to serve economic interests," said Hanh.

Meanwhile, the representative of Thong Nhat Park Company Limited told VietNamNet: "I have no comments on this decision. I have not researched this decision because we are not the construction company, the owner of the project. I do not have this decision in my hands yet. "

Kien Trung