Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 15:30 GMT+7 vnexpress
Stone tiles are seen in poor conditions on the sidewalk of Nguyen Trai Street in Hanoi. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre
Claimed to last for at least 50-70 years, stones used to pave major streets in Hanoi are falling apart only a few years after they were installed.
Three years ago, Hanoi’s authorities introduced a new set of regulations on road renovation, which slated a complete transition of paving material from bricks to natural stone on 900 streets of the capital city for the end of 2020.
In the process, natural stone was praised as a sturdy paving material which can last for at least 70 years.
However, as observed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, stones used to pave major streets in Hanoi, including Nguyen Trai, Khuat Duy Tien, and Tran Duy Hung, are extremely dilapidated, with tiles broken apart, despite being installed just a few years ago.
On Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, several sidewalk ramps built from the third quarter of 2017 were already ruined.
Nguyen Thanh Tu, a student of the University of Science on Nguyen Trai Street, said paving on the street lost its original visual appeal as stone tiles were gradually shattered.
“Students like us were very happy when the paving was first completed as it was clean, which helped us walk to school without facing dirt splashes on shoes and clothing. However, it only lasted for over a year as the tiles have cracked, allowing rainwater to store underneath the paving,” Tu said.
On Khuat Duy Tien Street in Thanh Xuan District, tiles of the newly-installed paving were displaced, revealing the concrete layer underneath.
According to Dao Ngoc Nghiem, vice-president of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association, the responsibility of administrative authorities, particularly Hanoi’s Department of Construction, needs to be addressed in this case.
“Hanoi’s Department of Construction is the main agency in charge and administrative body [of the project], which is why they should take responsibility for the monitoring and implementation process of the stone paving,” Nghiem stated.
Construction suppliers should also be held accountable for the stone quality, Nghiem added.
I am an attorney in the Washington DC area, with a Doctor of Law in the US, attended the master program at the National School of Administration of Việt Nam, and graduated from Sài Gòn University Law School. I aso studied philosophy at the School of Letters in Sài Gòn.
I have worked as an anti-trust attorney for Federal Trade Commission and a litigator for a fortune-100 telecom company in Washington DC. I have taught law courses for legal professionals in Việt Nam and still counsel VN government agencies on legal matters. I have founded and managed businesses for me and my family, both law and non-law.
I have published many articles on national newspapers and radio stations in Việt Nam.
In 1989 I was one of the founding members of US-VN Trade Council, working to re-establish US-VN relationship.
Since the early 90's, I have established and managed VNFORUM and VNBIZ forum on VN-related matters; these forums are the subject of a PhD thesis by Dr. Caroline Valverde at UC-Berkeley and her book Transnationalizing Viet Nam.
I translate poetry and my translation of "A Request at Đồng Lộc Cemetery" is now engraved on a stone memorial at Đồng Lộc National Shrine in VN.
I study and teach the Bible and Buddhism. In 2009 I founded and still manage dotchuoinon.com on positive thinking and two other blogs on Buddhism. In 2015 a group of friends and I founded website CVD - Conversations on Vietnam Development (cvdvn.net).
I study the art of leadership with many friends who are religious, business and government leaders from many countries.
In October 2011 Phu Nu Publishing House in Hanoi published my book "Positive Thinking to Change Your Life", in Vietnamese (TƯ DUY TÍCH CỰC Thay Đổi Cuộc Sống).
In December 2013 Phu Nu Publishing House published my book "10 Core Values for Success".
I practice Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi for health, and play guitar as a hobby, usually accompanying my wife Trần Lê Túy Phượng, aka singer Linh Phượng.
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