Mr. Tran Trong Hanh, former rector of the Hanoi University of Architecture and former member of the Hanoi People's Council, said the inadequate management process for decades has not helped take into play the advantage of rivers near the city, particularly in the case of Hanoi’s Red River.

Construction works along both sides of the river have not developed together. Due to a lack of planning, all architectural works and houses on both sides of the Red River are turned backward on the river.

Mr. Duong Duc Tuan, Hanoi’s Vice Chairman, said the newly issued development master plan aims to establish the Red River as the main axis of the capital city, linked with the West Lake-Co Loa axis to form the center of the central urban area of ​​Hanoi.

In this zone, a system of parks, iconic works of the capital city, and historical spaces, conservation areas, landscapes, and tourism sites such as West Lake, Co Loa and Bat Trang will be developed.

As the developer of the Red River urban zoning master plan, the Hanoi Institute of Construction Planning said that with the new planning, "Hanoi will face the Red River for development".

According to the Vietnam Urban Development Planning Association, when Hanoi has expanded its boundaries, it will be necessary to keep space for the Red River by not building many high-rises on its sides.

The most important feature is to build two roads along both sides of the Red River on the north and south banks. With these two roads, there will be no encroachment on the riverbanks.

With the formation of two roads along the Red River, many houses will have to be removed. Once the riverside route has been formed, the construction of high-rises and houses must be banned.

In 2008 the National Assembly issued a Resolution to expand the administrative boundaries of the capital city. Accordingly, the area of ​​​​Hanoi has increased to 3,324 km2. For such a large area, the space of the Red River must be preserved.

Bao Van