'New space' around Hoan Kiem Lake from September 1

Around Hoan Kiem Lake, there is a walking space with many street art activities, community activities, free wifi and bars and restaurants open until 2am.

On August 29, some locations around Hoan Kiem Lake had free wifi. VNPT Hanoi continued to install transmission stations.

Some locations around Hoan Kiem Lake have had free wifi since August 29. Photo: Vo Hai.

Mr. Dang Anh Son, Director of VNPT Hanoi, said that the installation is divided into 2 phases. Phase 1 will install and put into use 18 transmission stations at 10 locations before September 1. Phase 2 will install and put into use 13 transmission stations at 11 locations before September 20 and survey to install more on Cau Go street. It is expected that about 1,000 people can access wifi at the same time.

Residents and visitors can access free wifi from smartphones or handheld devices by turning on wifi search mode and selecting the hotspot “Freewifi_UBNDHANOI”. After 10 seconds of introducing the walking street banner and the logo of the sponsor of the free wifi system, residents will successfully access. Each block of free wifi access is 30 minutes, the system will automatically log out. If users want to access again, they must repeat the above steps.

The installation of free wifi meets the Internet access needs of the capital's residents, helping domestic and foreign tourists easily look up and search for necessary information when coming to Hanoi in general and the walking street around Hoan Kiem Lake in particular, thereby promoting service and commercial activities in the area.

Regarding concerns about the quality of free wifi and information security, Mr. Son said that the system is installed with a specialized outdoor wireless transmitter with high performance, reliability and stable operation in all weather conditions. In addition, the system connects to wifi hotspots transmitted over fiber optic cable, so the quality is stable and secure according to standards.

However, the Director of VNPT Hanoi said that because the walking street is being tested (from September 1 to December 31, 2016) by the Hanoi People's Committee, during the holidays when many tourists and people gather around Hoan Kiem Lake, the system will inevitably be congested.

Walking space around Hoan Kiem Lake and surrounding areas

Vice Chairman of Hoan Kiem District People's Committee Pham Tuan Long said that after the trial period of the walking street on Hang Dao - Dong Xuan route in 2004; the area of ​​the level I conservation area in 2014 (including Hang Buom, Hang Giay, Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ma May, Dao Duy Tu, Ta Hien) showed that organizing activities in the historical inner city center is very attractive to tourists and residents.

“According to statistics, on weekend nights when the walking street is organized, the number of tourists doubles compared to normal days. On average, there are about 3,000 foreign guests staying on weekdays, and about 6,000 on weekends,” said the Vice Chairman of Hoan Kiem District.Increasing tourism creates job opportunities for people, ensuring social security. It is also an opportunity to promote heritage in the area in particular, and the capital in general.

The number of foreign tourists staying in Hoan Kiem district doubled during the weekend. Photo: Ngoc Thanh.

According to Mr. Long,Hoan Kiem Lake area has many city agencies and very few houses, so when organizing a walk, we will exploit the space of the agencies during their off-time to organize community activities. This idea was raised many years ago and this time is completely appropriate to implement.

As a person who often walks around Hoan Kiem Lake,Nguyen Thi Thoi (living on Pho Duc Chinh street, Ba Dinh) saidstrongly supports the policy of turning this area into a walking city on weekend evenings. She hopes to have convenient parking spots with strict price management so that people can feel secure walking and sightseeing.

Ms. Sarah Baldwin (British tourist) thinks the idea of ​​a walking street is very good because normally the area around Hoan Kiem Lake is always crowded and sometimes dangerous. If it becomes a walking street, she can feel secure walking and enjoying the scenery instead of having to avoid traffic.

Sarah Baldwin's travel companion, Oliver King, said that Hoi An was the first destination for the couple when they arrived in Vietnam. Leaving Hoi An with satisfaction about the space for walking, shopping, resting and the feeling of peace, Oliver King said that "if Hanoi opens a walking street from September 1, it will be an excuse for him and his girlfriend to stay in the capital longer."

Restaurants and bars open until 2am

Currently, the capital city government manages service business activities according to the Regulations on Cultural Activities and Public Cultural Service Business. This document stipulates that performing arts activities, fashion shows, dance clubs, and karaoke are all prohibited from 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. For electronic games and other forms of entertainment, the prohibited time is from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the following day.

However, to attract tourists, the Hanoi People's Committee decided that from September 1, it will pilot allowing restaurants and bars in Hoan Kiem district to operate after midnight on the three weekends.

From September 1, Hanoi began a pilot program allowing restaurants and bars in Hoan Kiem district to open until 2 a.m. Photo: Hoa Viet Cuong.

As the beneficiary of the adjustment of the "curfew" hours, the leader of Hoan Kiem district said that allowing hotels, restaurants and other types of services to operate until 2am is a good opportunity for tourists to learn, promote tourism development, and develop the economy in the city center.

However, the district leaders said that the characteristic of Hoan Kiem is that restaurants, hotels, and services are interwoven in residential areas. Therefore, the district requires businesses to meet conditions on ensuring security, safety, not violating urban order, environmental sanitation, food hygiene and safety, especially noise with adjacent constructions.

According to the leader of Hoan Kiem district, in addition to the 6 existing public toilets around Hoan Kiem Lake, the district has requested some agencies and units located within the walking space to open their doors for visitors to use the toilet. In addition, the district also requires businesses to allow visitors to use the toilets until 2am.

Map of walking street around Hoan Kiem Lake area. Graphics: Tien Thanh - Ba Do.

According to VNE