Hanoi’s neglected ‘B52 lake’ gets a makeover

The national historical site at the Huu Tiep Lake in Hanoi's Ba Dinh District is where a B52 plane was shot down on December 27, 1972.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had previously sent a document to the Hanoi People's Committee regarding the renovation project, which includes building new structures, preserving and displaying pieces of the plane and removing sludge from the lake, which has been nicknamed the "B52 lake".

A group of workers erect barricades around the piece of B52 plane.

The frames will be renewed after the plane is moved to a different location for preservation.

Over 152 m of surrounding walls and 34.6 m of rocky embankments around the lake will be demolished and rebuilt.

Sludge, mud, trash and sewage pipes will be removed.

The plane’s wheels await maintenance.

Workers sift through scrap to find metal pieces that could belong to the downed plane. A lot of the pieces are rusted after spending 49 years underwater.

The metal pieces are cleaned before being sent to labs for analysis.

Residents living next to the Huu Tiep Lake take pictures of the war memorial and renovation work on their cell phones.

The B52 in this lake was the last of 34 that were shot down during the historic 12-day "Dien Bien Phu in the air" operation, and also the only one to be downed in Hanoi.