Hanoi Proposes Demolishing City Council and People’s Committee Headquarters for a New Nine-Story Building

Hanoi is seeking public views on a plan that would reshape the area around Hoan Kiem Lake, including a proposal to demolish the city People’s Council and People’s Committee headquarters and build a new nine-story structure with four basement levels.

The consultation will run from September 7 through September 26, 2026. The People’s Committee of Hoan Kiem Ward will lead the process with Cua Nam Ward. The study area covers about 65.89 hectares across the two wards and aims to renovate, reconstruct and reorganize the lake area.

The plan envisions Hoan Kiem Lake as a large square and a symbol of the capital, linked with August Revolution Square and the Hanoi Opera House to create a “History, Culture and Art” urban space. It proposes stronger connections around the lake, especially on the northern and eastern sides, along with redesigned squares, parks and community areas. It also seeks a balance between older and newer architecture.

On the northern side, the proposal would expand Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square and improve links to the lake and eastern park areas. It also studies a landmark “triumphal arch”, inspired by rising crane wings, as the endpoint of an urban axis through the Old Quarter and the start of a new axis toward the south.

At the city government headquarters, the plan studies reorganizing the site and demolishing the People’s Council and People’s Committee buildings, the Khan Quang Do theater and the Children’s Palace complex. Three French-era buildings, the Infant School, the Indochina Treasury and the Mayor’s Office, would remain. Other proposals include pedestrian space along Nguyen Khac Can and Trang Tien Alley, an extended pedestrian connection from Nha Tho Street to the lake, and a study of recreating features of the former Bao An Pagoda at the Hanoi Post Office site.