Da Nang plans to give the Han River a new look

In order to turn the two banks of the Han River into an urban center and a riverside tourist gateway, Da Nang has planned this place into a green space, with artistic lighting for the buildings.

More than 20 years ago, the Han River was dirty with a series of stilt houses, the two banks were separated, people had to take a ferry 400-600 m to cross the river. In 1997, when it became a centrally-run city, Da Nang leaders and people contributed money to build a swing bridge, arranged resettlement land, and built apartments for thousands of households living on boats and stilt houses.

The urban renovation has helped the Han River transform, likened to a silk strip across the city center. In order to be worthy of being a modern city, at the end of 2023, the People's Committee of Da Nang City approved the zoning plan for the Han River and the east bank, at a scale of 1/2,000, with the goal of "changing the clothes" of the river, creating urban highlights on both banks.

British fireworks. — The Han River sparkles during the 2023 fireworks competition night. Photo: *Nguyen Dong*

With a planning area of about 6,675 hectares including Hai Chau, Son Tra, Thanh Khe, Ngu Hanh Son and Cam Le districts, the Han River and east bank subdivision will be the urban center, administrative - political center; riverside and coastal tourism gateway; national and international conference center; financial center, high-quality education and training center in the Central region and cultural - sports and medical center.

The city will organize open spaces, combining water surfaces, green corridors along the river and large parks. Public works and services connected to the river and the sea create a harmonious, ecological natural space. In the space along the east bank of the Han River, the city plans parks and squares connected by green trees and walkways.

The Dien Hai Citadel area, the first vestige of the French resistance in 1858, and the Da Nang Museum have been approved for planning as a central square. This core area will be the place to organize cultural and political activities of the city, serving the entertainment and historical learning needs of the people and tourists.

The museum area and the administrative center of Da Nang City have been planned as a central square. Photo: Nguyen Dong — The museum area and the administrative center of Da Nang City have been planned as a central square. Photo: *Nguyen Dong*

Highlights of the urban space will include a living museum in Hai Chau district to introduce the history and urban lifestyle of Da Nang; a commercial center in Son Tra district with the orientation of forming a new economic center of the city. In addition, there is also a commercial tourism space in the existing neighborhood with Con market, Han market, and a tourist service area on the east bank...

Director of Da Nang Department of Construction Phung Phu Phong said that the city approved this subdivision to have a basis for implementing detailed planning, removing obstacles for investors in projects along the Han River and the east bank that are slow to be implemented due to legal problems. "The Han River and east bank subdivision is the most important of the nine planning subdivisions of Da Nang in the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050," said Mr. Phong.

The city is also studying the River of Light project with artistic purposes, connecting 5 bridges across the river, with a budget of nearly 400 billion VND. According to Mr. Phong, high-rise buildings along the Han River will be artistically lit, in harmony with the whole. In the future, high-rise buildings built along the riverbank must invest in additional artistic lighting items. "This is a way to create a silk strip along the Han River," Mr. Phong explained.

In this Han River planning, the city plans to upgrade the green tree system and landscape of Bach Dang, Tran Phu, and Tran Hung Dao streets to serve tourism. Currently, Da Nang's public green land (including parks and flower gardens) is only 2.64 m2/person. In the regulations on urban classification, public green land in the inner city and inner town of a type I city like Da Nang must reach 5 m2/person to be counted as 1.5 points; 6 m2/person is counted as 2 points.

Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son suggested that when implementing the Han River zoning plan, the city should reserve a large area to ensure green space, because this is an element that Da Nang is lacking. Then the riverside will include green space on both sides, green squares. The floating islands should also be retained, creating living space for birds that are increasingly migrating to the Han River.

Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son. Photo: Nguyen Dong — Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son. Photo: *Nguyen Dong*

Architect Son also believes that Da Nang should have a direction so that both sides of the river will be green spaces for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. "That means there will be public transport on the east and west banks and they will be connected to each other. People and tourists will no longer need their own vehicles to go to the city center but will use public transport. That way, the space along the Han River will be more vibrant," he said.

Mr. Son also suggested that Da Nang should build a water taxi system, running like a bus from one pier to another and moving continuously so that people and tourists can go sightseeing on the river and enjoy the scenery on both banks. If this can be done, life on the Han River will be more attractive, solving the congestion problem in the central area.

Another note according to Mr. Son is that the planning "should not be divided into this lot or that lot". The city has licensed many projects to encroach on the river, so if they have encroached, they should not build houses, instead they should build green spaces, public and cultural works such as museums, theaters, libraries so that the axis on both sides of the Han River is like the city's living room, always clean and beautiful to welcome tourists.

Nguyen Dong

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