Hanoi plans renovation of 131 heritage railway arches connecting Old Quarter to Long Bien Station
WVR - The project aims to preserve the system of 131 stone arches over a century old, while upgrading infrastructure and enhancing heritage value to create a chain of cultural, artistic, commercial, and service spaces connecting the Old Quarter with Long Bien Station.
Latest
The People's Committee of Hoan Kiem Ward, Hanoi, is implementing steps to develop a 1/500 scale urban design plan for the Phung Hung Street - Arch area, aiming to preserve and enhance the value of the historic railway arch system, while renovating the urban space in the capital's central area.
 |
| The system of 131 stone arches was built by the French over a century ago to serve the railway line through central Hanoi. (Photo: Minh Hieu) |
The project focuses on the railway viaduct approximately 1.716 km long, stretching from Phung Hung Street through Gam Cau Street to Long Bien Station, with a research scope of about 10 hectares and a land area of approximately 8.77 hectares.
The system includes 131 stone arches built by the French over 100 years ago to serve the railway running through central Hanoi.
According to the current survey, 6 arches are serving traffic, 97 arches have been sealed with two layers of walls, 21 arches have been sealed with four layers, and 7 arches remain intact in the Long Bien Station area.
Although arch number 93 was piloted for opening in 2019, this area has now been re-sealed. Most of the arches remain sealed or encroached upon for business purposes, vehicle parking, affecting urban landscape and railway safety.
Additionally, the Phung Hung mural street project, implemented during 2017-2018 with nearly 20 decorated arches, has shown signs of deterioration.
According to the plan's orientation, the area will be cleared of encroaching structures and households, while technical infrastructure will be renovated, sidewalks expanded, greenery added, and the original architecture of valuable structures restored to the maximum extent.
Elements such as color, finishing materials, canopies, signage, and urban equipment will also be uniformly planned to create a cohesive appearance for the entire route.
The plan also proposes dividing the arch route from Long Bien Station to the Tran Phu - Ngo Tram intersection into five functional sub-areas.
Among these, the section from Cua Dong to Le Van Linh is oriented to develop a handicraft space with shops, creative workshops, and craft village experience areas. The section from Le Van Linh to Hang Cot will form a community cultural and artistic space, including galleries, cafes, creative spaces, and shops introducing Vietnamese products.
The area from Hang Cot to Hang Giay is planned as a culinary space introducing traditional Hanoi dishes. The section from Gam Cau to Nguyen Thiep will develop into a pedestrian bazaar market with small shops, eateries, and spaces for traditional product business.
The final section from Nguyen Thiep to Long Bien Station is oriented to become a public park combined with the preservation of the old Long Bien Station, creating additional green space and connecting with pedestrian routes in the area.
 |
| Cultural exchange activities at Phung Hung mural street. (Photo: Ha Anh) |
In addition to architectural preservation, the plan also sets out renovation principles such as restoring the original value to the maximum for structures of special value; unifying color, materials, canopies, signage; and upgrading technical infrastructure and drainage systems to enhance urban aesthetics, ensuring safety and convenience for residents and tourists.
Upon completion, the project is expected to create a unique cultural-creative space route, connecting the heritage sites of the Old Quarter with Long Bien Station, contributing to the preservation of the historical value of the over-century-old railway viaduct system, while adding new cultural and tourism products to the capital Hanoi.
