5 public squares planned around downtown Hanoi lake

They will require around 11.7 ha of land along Nguyen Du, Tran Binh Trong, Quang Trung, and Tran Nhan Tong streets in Nguyen Du and Le Dai Hanh wards.

They will include a central square on Tran Nhan Tong Street next to Thong Nhat Park that will have a cultural and arts site, a shopping center and a place for tourists to stop by.

The street now becomes a pedestrian plaza during weekends, hosting amusement and commercial activities.

The other four squares will be at the four corners of the lake and named after the four seasons.

Spring and Summer will also be on Tran Nhan Tong Street, feature open spaces for major events, and be a vantage from where the entire lake can be seen.

Fall square will be at the intersection of Nguyen Du and Quang Trung streets, and Winter at the Nguyen Du-Tran Binh Trong intersection.

The design also envisages building a fountain in the middle of the lake besides a musical fountain near Tran Nhan Tong Street.

There will also be memorial and religious sites, youth cultural centers and green areas.

In September last year the city People's Committee said the plan is to create an architectural space that integrates both newly built and old areas.

Thien Quang Lake, once known as Lien Thuy Lake, was gradually reduced in size during the French colonialist era to make room for street widening. It stopped in the 1930s when it had shrunk to an area of around five hectares.