LAM HONG GARDEN CITY：TRANSFORMATIVE ECO LIVING AND YEAR ROUND TOURISM
With the Lam Hong Garden Park City project we realize two ambitions; creating a truly ecological community, whilst also creating a year-round tourism city.
Lam Hong is a district of Ha Tinh City, the capital of Vietnam’s Ha Tinh Province. Set on a 263-hectare site, we are given an almost blank slate on which we can weave a narrative of ecological living, cultural heritage, and year-round tourism.
So how did we create Lam Hong Garden Park City? We took inspiration locally and from afar: nature, living, and tourism best practices intertwined.
In this lush part of South East Asia, nature’s touch is everywhere. The city’s emblem clearly represents the four pillars of the city: an open book for learning, mountains, the Lam River, and the Lotus City fort showing culture.
Looking afar for further inspiration, we studied some of the world’s most livable waterfront districts and infuse this into a living space fit for Vietnam's rising middle class, as well as a world-class tourism zone where people from all over can enjoy an ecological lifestyle.
Global Case Studies
FDR Park in Philadelphia is a world-class example of creating activities in nature facilitated by well-designed people flow circulation. Grassy lawns, picturesque woods, and water zones provide a backdrop for leisure activities like golf, boating, spa therapy, and dining.
This interaction with and within nature aspect impressed us deeply
San Antonio’s 15 mile River Walk is an urban waterway with twin parallel sidewalks that acts as a conduit through the city. Not only does it physically connect the city’s sites, but also brings in vast tourism dollars, almost $800 million a year! Starting in 1939 as 3.5 miles of the walkway, the River Walk has expanded in size, scope, and fame.
Thus we see that a waterfront tourism district has a dual role of people flow circulation, and boosting the economy. It becomes an attraction in and of itself, bringing in people and capital.
The Now
Lam Hong Garden City’s 263-hectare site is mostly agricultural land, used for rice and aquaculture, with a residential area of only 2 hectares.
Bordering the site to the north is the existing residential area, to the east and south is the Rao Cai river, and the 1A National road to the west.
Within the site are the Cam Son Pagoda and the Nui Nai Martyr Cemetery. Close to the site is the Lotus Fort, which is so emblematic of the city, and monuments to famous poet Nguyen Du, and the Ten Female Martyrs. Those sites are all vitally important to locals and are all incorporated into our planning.
So, at once this site is a blank slate, but flowing with inspirations making it ideal for developing into a new urban area.
NDA’s Vision
Our vision combines the principles of LOHAS (Lifestyle Of Health And Sustainability) with the city’s emblematic pillars of learning, water, nature, and culture.
Through visionary urban planning and careful activity design, we create a space that encourages people to get out, interact, and be active. We create 5 different zones that are separated by demographic and activity yet share common principles of being set in and with nature.
In this extraordinary environment every activity, every moment, every memory is nature-infused, And with average winter temperatures of only 20 degrees, people can be active year-round, day and night.
That simple after-dinner family stroll turns into a balmy jaunt through nature, a quick coffee break by the lake becomes a recharge not just for the body but also for the soul, and night shopping streets are alive and buzzing with shoppers enjoying subtropical balmy evenings.
Through intertwining these principles, we create a truly Vietnamese space that is world-class in its standards. People don’t just exist or visit Lam Hong Garden, they live and thrive.
Read our post next week to find out how our 5 zone master plan helps realize our vision of ecological living and year-round tourism.