Where should Hanoi locate zero milestone?

Since the idea of building a monument marking the zero milestone has been put forth the Hanoi's authorities, the city's residents from all walks of life have gathered in heated debates on where it should be placed around the Hoan Kiem Lake.  

A zero milestone is suggested to be located at the position of the flower clock. Photo: Hai Linh (Kinh te & Do thi)

Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association Dao Ngoc Nghiem said that a zero milestone in Hoan Kiem Lake area will affirm the position of the capital city as the starting point of roads across the country. Every visitor would wish to come to see and take picture of it. 

Sharing the same idea, Tran Huy Anh from the Hanoi Association of Architects told Kinh te & Do thi that the zero milestone standing at the heart of the country's capital city not only demonstrates the sense of national sovereignty but also aims at educating the young generations of national pride and citizen responsibility to the country.

Nguyen Thi Lan, a resident of 31 Hang Chuoi street, agreed with the idea of building such a marker and said it should stand at the intersection of Hang Khay - Dinh Tien Hoang.

However, the place is where a flower clock is already located. It is a gift from Swiss capital city of Bern to Hanoi on the occasion of the 1000th founding anniversary of the Vietnamese capital. “The zero milestone mark needs not being “monumental” but rather harmonious with the landscape and to enhance the beauty around the lake.”

A festival on the street around Hoan Kiem lake area. Photo: Zing

Discussing the location of the work, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc, the person who put forth the idea of building the zero milestone in 2009, said that the work should be built with a height of 1m, and designed with the city’s symbol. 

“This milestone is not meaningful in terms of measurement, but culture and tourism. Therefore, it is reasonable to place it at the intersection of Hang Khay - Dinh Tien Hoang,” Duc said.

Meanwhile, Huy Anh commented that other locations around Hoan Kiem Lake area should be taken into consideration. Huy Anh suggested the area near the King Le Temple on Le Thai To street because this area has a lot of beautiful architectural works such as Luc Thuy house and the main office of Nhan Dan newspaper. Besides, this is also a public area that attracts a lot of people at the annual festival of King Le.

Nghiem said the area around the lake has been shaped and it seems that no place is left for the work. Therefore, this project should be located near underground space of C9 metro station. As such, the green area of the zero-milestone combined with the public underground space of the station area will create an attraction in the city's center.

“This is a symbolic project not only of Hanoi but also of the whole country. Therefore, the city’s authorities need to organize a wide range of events to gather ideas since the concept designing stage from all walks of life, before making the final decision,” Nghiem said.

Earlier, a proposal to build a zero milestone in Hoan Kiem lake surroundings was presented at a meeting between Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue and Hoan Kiem district’s Party Committee on May 9.

The idea was put forth since 2009 and again in 2012 by Professor Ha Dinh Duc. In 2017, the work was included in the Hoan Kiem Lake area renovation project.