HÀ NỘI — The People’s Committee of Ba Đình District has submitted a proposal for two night-time pedestrian spaces around Ngọc Khanh Lake and Đảo Ngọc-Ngũ Xã peninsula on Truc Bạch Lake.

The pedestrian space around Ngọc Khanh Lake in Ngọc Khanh Ward is about 340m in length, comprising Phạm Huy Thong Street and eight branches linking the lake with Kim Mã, Nguyễn Chí Thanh, and La Thanh streets.

More stalls and entertainment and street art activities will be arranged at weekends and during festivals.

The space will be opened between 9am and 10pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Local authorities will consider opening the street for the whole week depending on the assessment after a pilot period.

The Ngọc Khanh area has a beautiful landscape, modern infrastructure, several foreign residents, many restaurants and cafes and other essential shops at high concentration, which will aid the development of a service-commerce zone.

Meanwhile, the Đảo Ngọc – Ngũ Xã area, covering seven streets in Truc Bạch Ward, will be closed off from 7pm to midnight to serve as a “food zone” every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, alongside frequent food and agricultural product markets as well as cultural performances on festivals and public holidays.

In the long run, the district will consider opening the food zone every day and banning vehicles from 7pm to 5am the next day.

The area has long been a popular food hub for domestic and foreign visitors, drawing about 400 people in the daytime and up to 600 people at night.

It is also situated near major historical and cultural sites of the capital city, including Ba Đình Square, the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, Thăng Long Citadel, and Quan Thanh Temple.

Local authorities plan to organise more fairs introducing specialities of localities and street culture and art activities at weekends and festivals.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Đình District Tạ Nam Chiến said that almost all households in the project areas supported the organisation of the spaces, with 92.2 per cent in favour of the Ngọc Khanh pedestrian area, and 97.6 per cent in favour of the Ngũ Xã – Đảo Ngọc pedestrian zone. — VNS