Comments on: Hanoi: Think Different

By: ly

ly — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:12:16 +0000

Hey, i came across your site while searching for some info on urban development issues in Vietnam for my paper. It’s really encouraging and assuring to read this piece for someone like me who was born and raised in Hanoi and deeply concerned over its architectural mishmash, which reflects so many other socioeconomic setbacks. It’s a tough challenge, but i hope you all will do a great job.

By: TQ Tuan

TQ Tuan — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:56:21 +0000

Hi, have you seen the proposals for Hoan Kiem Lake Area so far? http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=652199

Do you guys have a say in this as well? I hope it will just turn out nice. I find Hoan Kiem Lake Area also more European looking. There are many structres like the Opera House or the St. Joseph Cathedral which enhance the look. So I hope they will follow the model of an European city. However, the ghost of that area should be different, unique and charming. A small scale of pagodas/ traditional structures should be included as well to remind of the time of the early days of Hoan Kiem Lake Area.

By: Sean Brown

Sean Brown — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:52:14 +0000

“At the very least, Hanoi can freeze or restrict development in the downtown area for the next 20 years.”

Sorry, but that doesn’t sound very conducive to livability. Soon, all but the ultra-rich would be priced out of living in the central areas. Isn’t an important goal to have a city with diverse socioeconomic strata living in the same neighborhoods?

By: David Kilburn

David Kilburn — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:19:27 +0000

I thought your comments about Seoul were highly perceptive and totally accurate. A Korean architect I know describes modern Seoul as a city designed to drive people insane. This is a far cry from Korea’s own architectural traditons where it was always important that buildings were designed to nestle harmoniously into the landscape, neither dominating nor destroying it. The geomantic ideas that are better known as the Chinese “Feng Shui” were always important. Nowadays, the landscape is eradicated to pave the way for squadrons of identikit apartment blocks? Who benefits, certainly not the residents. The real beneficiaries are the owners of constructio companies, real estate speculators, and the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats who play their own role in detroying quality of life.

By: TQ Tan

TQ Tan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:30:05 +0000

omg. I totally agree with you and I’m totally happy to hear from the ppl who will set up the masterplan of Great Hanoi. I’m so relieved. The new Hanoi should be inspired by her own past. I wish some places in Hanoi to remind me of a typical Northern village, and other places like Paris, since French architectre plays a major role in Vietnamese architecture now. All I want for Hanoi is a strong idendity.
Keep ur blog updated! I’m so interested in reading ur articles.