Completing the spaces on the two sides of the Huong River will create a highlight for Hue. Photo: Hoang Hai
Walking path makes effects
After the walking path on the Huong River, which was sponsored by the Korean Government through the Korea International Cooperation Agency in Viet Nam with the total investment of nearly VND 53 billion come into operation, the routes, the areas of parks and green points along the two sides of the Huong River have become sparkling and attractive for tourists. At present, the destinations of local people and tourists joining the tours of Hue sightseeing are not only encapsulated in mausoleums and pagodas but also paid more attention to the spaces on the two riversides, where the two walking paths have just been completed.
To promote the values of the spaces on the two sides of the Huong River, the People’s Committee of Hue City has invested in some works such as renovating Tu Tuong (Four Elephants) park, the front yard of Quoc Hoc Memorial Stele, Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking path, and the walking path along the southern side of the Huong River with the total investment of over VND 25 billion, and these works have come into operation since late 2018. By the end of 2019, the work of the walking path on the Northern area – the section from Truong Tien Bridge to Da Vien Bridge was continued to be invested and has come into operation, contributing to creating two walking paths along the two riversides; at the same time exploiting to the utmost the beauty of the Huong River and the surrounding landscapes.
To complete the spaces on the two sides of the Huong River and the surrounding areas, Hue city continues to invest over VND 50 billion in renovating the parks and green points such as Thuong Bac Park, Ly Tu Trong Park, Phu Xuan Parks, and the lighting system in these parks; in the coming time, there will be the projects of renovating Kim Long Park (the section from Da Vien Bridge to Thien Mu Pagoda) creating a connection with the two walking paths in the north and south of the Huong River.
The “forest walking path” beautifies the banks of the Huong River. Photo: Dang Tuyen
Head of Hue City’s Urban Management Department, Mr. Nguyen Viet Bang informed that in addition to the renovation of the spaces on the two sides of the Huong River, the city also prepares for the renovation of Le Loi street with the total investment of VND 23 billion, including the articles such as paving the road surface, paving the sidewalks with stone, and planting green trees. At the same time, the city will carry out the plan of dismantling the concrete fences on both the front and back sides of the offices on the two banks of the Huong River and replace them with the soft fences to create the highlight for the route of Le Loi Street and Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking path, contributing to perfecting the landscape of the areas around the two sides of the Huong River.
Greener and brighter
In 2020, the city keeps on implementing the project of investing in the lighting system for the parks on the two sides of the Huong River by appointing Hue Urban Environment and Public Works Joint Stock Company to propose the plan, in which the total investment is about VND 50 billion.
The detailed plan for the lighting project is putting the work of lighting on the two sides of the Huong River into the overall lighting plan of Hue City, especially the areas of Le Loi, Le Duan, Tran Hung Dao streets and the highlighted works surrounding the city. The city is considering investing in the lighting system which is exploited from the various scenic views such as from the walking path, on the scenic highpoints to the bridges spanning the Huong River, etc.
Vice Chairman of Hue Green Park Center, Mr. Dang Ngoc Quy claimed that in 2020, the walking paths along the two riversides, together with the parks and green points will be planted with more flowers and green trees, in which focusing on the shade and flowering trees and choosing the ones which are suitable for the weather in Hue.
Accordingly, the areas along the two sides of the river will be focused on planting the plants such as rice flowers (Bombax ceiba) , white alder flowers, heliconia flowers, sunflowers, etc., at the same time adding more flower beds and easy-to-live flowers such as hibiscus flowers, yellow pansy flowers, cassia javanica flowers, etc., with an aim to bring into real life the project of building Hue a Green – Clean – Bright city, “a city of four seasons of flowers”.
Economic development along the routes
By the end of February 2020, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Phan Ngoc Tho surveyed the landscapes along the two sides of the Huong River to guide the opening of an extended walking path from the section of Da Vien Bridge to Thien Mu Pagoda (the northern bank) and Kim Long Hydrological Station (the southern bank) with the length of 2km. This is a route that will be constructed to become a walking path along the two sides of the Huong River with the width of the road surface is 10.5m, and the section of the main street is 4.5m.
Chairman Phan Ngoc Tho suggested that Hue city should consider and implement the project of the walking path with the most optimal and effective plan, but still ensures the environmental landscape to serve local people and tourists; at the same time considers the plan of economic development along this route. Besides continuing to build up the system of the extended walking path connecting the existing one, the units also have to think about the project of developing Da Vien Islet into an attractive tourist destination, combining with planting more green trees and flower plants, as well as investing in the lighting system at night to make the landscape along the two sides of the Huong River become sparkling.
Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hue City Hoang Hai Minh said that the city has carried out various projects to create the highlights for the landscape, art corners, and open space so that local people and tourists can give better access to the poetic beauty of the Huong River, hence developing tourism, at the same time actualizing the project of building Hue a “Green – Clean – Bright” city, a typical Festival city of Vietnam.
By Thanh Huong