It is one of seven vessels that had been in a state of serious deterioration and left abandoned for many years in the Dam Bay area in Nhat Tan Ward.
Four days ago, authorities in Tay Ho District began its campaign to dismantle all cruise ships and floating houses along the West Lake.
Considered the biggest freshwater body in Hanoi, the West Lake used to be home to cruise ships, floating restaurants and other tourist boat services.
A worker dismantles the roof of the cruise ship.
Nguyen Dinh Khuyen, chairman of Tay Ho District where the lake is situated, said four cruise ships, four large floating houses and other vessels including small boats, motorboats and paddle boats will be dismantled by the end of this year.
Workers said that each cruise ship may take 10 days to dismantle.
They have to work carefully to avoid littering and polluting the West Lake, a popular hangout.
Most cruise ships are designed with two decks, mostly iron and tall glass-framed walls.
Businesses that own these cruise ships said dismantlement is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong (VND1 million = US$41).
After dismantling, all items and garbage from the cruise ship will be transported to the shore and taken elsewhere.
Electricians and welders will dismantle the wiring and cut the iron racks before taking the boat out of the water.
Two hundred meters away, three other ships lying near Sen Ho Tay Street are in poor condition.
In 2016, Hanoi People's Committee shut down a tourist dock and ordered a halt to boating services here due to their failure to ensure environmental conditions and fire prevention.
Over the past years, these cruise ships and floating houses have been left abandoned and seriously deteriorated.
