Mr. Cung Trong Cuong, Director of the Institute of Research and Development, exchanged ideas at the forum
Each attendee had a specific profession and came from various places, but they all are self-confessed “to be deeply attached” to Hue as they were always eager with those projects soon to be implemented. The forum with the theme "Hue - the city with four seasons of flowers and public transport" was organized by the Provincial Institute of Research and Development on the morning of March 2 as an opportunity for them to express their ideas and make proposals.
Creating a typical flower season for Hue
The open forum space was organized right on a boat on the Huong River, starting from Nghinh Luong Dinh and going upstream. Beginning the story in that poetic space, Dr. Dang Minh Nam - Deputy Director of the Provincial Institute of Research and Development briefly summarized the history, geography, and scenic spots of Hue ... in a specific way and said that Hue had many advantages with a green space, the Huong river flowing through the city, typical architectures, and an extremely convenient transportation system.
Therefore, when the project "Hue - the city with four seasons of flowers" is implemented, it will make the urban space become beautiful for the local people and tourists from near and far. "The question is who are we implementing the project for? The subjects are not only local residents but also tourists. What kinds of flowers will we plant in each season? Which colors will we choose? What actions must come from the authorities, businesses and local people?” Mr. Nam raised the issue. He emphasized that if other countries in the world can do it, Hue can do it, but with its own unique characteristics. According to Mr. Nam, flowers here do not only refer to real flowers but also artificial flowers, and “light” flowers at night which have been used to make Hue more beautiful.
The Ngo dong (parasol tree) flowers - a specific kind of flowers associated with heritage images
Debating on the topic of the city with four seasons of flowers, botany expert Do Xuan Cam pointed out that Hue has many strengths. In particular, it is worth mentioning environmental conditions which are quite suitable for many types of exotic trees; complete sidewalks possible for planting trees; many new urban areas; and diverse and abundant green tree systems ...
“However, we need to pay attention to some of the existing weaknesses: the current status of urban green trees lacks systematic planning; it is not perfect in terms of aesthetics; and it lacks diversity and quality assurance. Many streets do not have trees and management is still loose," said Mr. Cam. Talking about creating a city with four seasons of flowers, Mr. Cam noted the climate challenge and the need to carefully study the types of trees for the rainy season.
Some opinions suggested that some countries in the world have organized competitions for people to decorate the streets with flowers, thereby encouraging the protection of a green - clean – beautiful space. It is possible to study such models for inclusion in the project. Other opinions mentioned that planting trees, flowers as well as other criteria should be considered as cultural criteria, and people in the neighborhoods and villages should be encouraged to initiate and implement the project together.
Specific plans are needed to develop public transport
Meanwhile, the issue of restricting personal transport and increasing public transport needs a specific plan because the number of vehicles continues to grow, surpassing the infrastructure’s capacity. In this context, public transport is considered one of the deciding factors to restrict personal vehicle traffic.
Dr. Luong Hoai Nam - Expert on Transport and Tourism talking about the traffic problem of Hue city
Dr. Luong Hoai Nam - Expert in Transport and Tourism, said that Hue is a relatively small city, so meeting the demand for public transport is quite simple. According to this expert, Hue needs two main types of vehicles: buses and trams. These two vehicles combined with bicycles will serve the needs of people and visitors to Hue. If this is done, the demand for cars and motorcycles will decrease. This will help Hue become a charming and unique city, creating an attraction for tourists.
“Sometimes we think that we cannot survive without motorbikes, but this reality is happening in many places. In Hue, the travel radius is very short, so developing public transport will be very good. We use modern civilized transport vehicles, travel safely and ensuring people’s health,” Mr. Nam explained.
At the end of the forum, Mr. Cung Trong Cuong, Director of the Institute of Research and Development highly appreciated the opinions of experts and the people. These were good ideas that suggested investing in socialization, or the government connecting with businesses and people to invest and reduce costs ...
Story and photos: Nhat Minh