Hanoi Party chief orders suspension of old French-style building demolition

The leader of the Hanoi Party Committee has directed the suspension of the demolition of an old French-style edifice, most of which has been destroyed so far, to serve a project on building a modern commercial complex in Ba Dinh District.

In his recent direction, Party Committee secretary Dinh Tien Dung asked the city administration and agencies concerned to request the project investor, Hanoi-based Post and Telecommunication Equipment Joint Stock Company, to cease dismantling the ancient building.

The two-story building is located at 61 Tran Phu Street near Ba Dinh Square, in an area called ‘the Ba Dinh Political Area.’

This four-façade building served as the premises of a post equipment factory that had been removed under a construction plan for the area.

Dung also asked the Ba Dinh District administration to handle law-breaking acts, if any, in relation to the project being developed at the building, whose four sides are seated on four streets, including Hung Vuong, Tran Phu, Le Truc, and Nguyen Thai Hoc.

The results of the implementation of this direction must be reported to the Standing Board of the Party Committee before April 15.

The direction came after Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported on Monday that many Hanoi heritage enthusiasts were surprised and sorry when witnessing the dismantling of the house that once marked the historical vestiges of the capital in the resistance war against the U.S. before 1975.

Notably, on the wall of the building on the Nguyen Thai Hoc – Le Truc intersection, there is a relief embossed with the image of militia and self-defense forces defending Hanoi during the war.

The relief also shows the words indicating that local armed forces shot down an American plane on May 19, 1967 in this location.

On Monday, the Ba Dinh District administration issued a document asking the project investor to preserve the historical relief.

Currently, except the building façade on Hung Vuong Street that remains basically intact, all the other fronts on Le Truc, Tran Phu, and Nguyen Thai Hoc Streets have been pulled down.

The inside part of the edifice was completely destroyed.

In a dispatch to the Hanoi administration on Wednesday, the Ministry of Construction demanded that local authorities halt the development of the commercial center project and review its architecture plan to ensure it complies with relevant regulations and stays harmonious with the overall landscape in the vicinity.

All the steps to develop the commercial center at 61 Tran Phu have been carried out in accordance with relevant regulations, according to the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture.

The Hanoi People’s Committee licensed the construction in 2017 and approved the change of land use purposes for the project in 2018, the department said.

By Vinh Tho & Pham Tuan – Tuoi Tre News – April 7, 2022