VietNamNet Bridge – The city will not pay millions of US dollars to build 35 monuments, a proposal made by several experts at a seminar, an official said on Tuesday.

A monument in Hanoi.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, deputy chief of the Hanoi Party Committee’s PR Department, said the planning of monuments in Hanoi to 2020 and the vision to 2030 does not meet the requirements.

"Hanoi does not have a policy on building large-sized monuments because at present there are statues at the city’s gates and in the centers of districts already," said Phong.

Earlier the public was stirred up by the information about Hanoi’s plan to build 35 monuments at the cost of VND700 billion ($35 million), saying that the plan was wasteful. Phong said this was the idea of the National Institute for Urban and Rural Planning.

The official said the city would receive comments from relevant agencies to finalize the city’s development planning for monuments.

At a seminar held by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 3, the National Institute of Urban and Rural Planning suggested that the city need 69 monuments from 2014 to 2030.

At present Hanoi has 34 monuments so in the next 15 years, the city should build 35 more monuments with a total investment of VND700 billion.

The map of monuments in Hanoi.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture – Mr. Truong Minh Tien - endorsed the proposal and said that it is "very meaningful and necessary".

He said all countries and cities need monuments to honor and promote the value of history, culture and life of the local people.

Tien said the construction of 35 new monuments is workable if the plan is supported by relevant agencies.

However, the majority of architects attending the workshop did not agree with the plan, saying that it was too "adventurous".

T. Van