Hanoi to debut second night-time food zone in Q4

The Dao Ngoc - Ngu Xa area near West Lake in Ba Dinh district is set to become the second night-time food zone in Hanoi in the fourth quarter of this year.

The city’s first is the Tong Duy Tan - Cam Chi area in the Old Quarter, opened in 2002.

The 4.5ha Dao Ngoc - Ngu Xa zone will include seven streets, namely Ngu Xa, Tran Te Xuong, Nguyen Khac Hieu, Mac Dinh Chi, Nam Trang, Lac Chinh, and Tran Vu. Of these, Ngu Xa and Nguyen Khac Hieu will become a walking area, 120 meters in length and eight meters in width.

Initially, the streets will be closed off to turn into a food zone from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the time later extended to every day, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Activities include cafes, food stalls, goods markets, entertainment, and cultural performances.

Truc Bach Lake is near Hanoi’s iconic West Lake, with the iconic Thanh Nien street running between them.

Hanoi also also plans to turn the Ngoc Khanh Lake area near Hanoi Daewoo Hotel in Ngoc Khanh ward, Ba Dinh district into the city’s fifth pedestrian zone by the end of next year.

The 12ha research area will include 36,000 square meters of Ngoc Khanh Lake water surface and 3,800 square meters of flower gardens on Nguyen Chi Thanh street. The walking zone will include the Pham Huy Thong street section of 340 meters in length and eight branches that connect the lake with streets like Kim Ma, Nguyen Chi Thanh and La Thanh.

The Ba Dinh district People’s Committee will spend VND9 billion ($383,000) to renovate gardens and plant trees as a highlight of the pedestrian zone project, especially for the Nguyen Chi Thanh section next to the lake.

In the beginning, the pedestrian area is set to open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the time possibly extended to seven days a week.

The renovation of neighboring areas will be carried out from the fourth quarter of 2022 and the pedestrian zone is set to open to the public in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Hanoi’s fourth pedestrian zone in Son Tay town, 40 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, is scheduled to make its debut on the occasion of the country's Reunification Day on April 30.