Groundbreaking ceremony for Hanoi Opera House project: International-class 'art cathedral'

(Chinhphu.vn) - On the morning of October 5, the Hanoi People's Committee and Sun Group officially started the project of Hanoi Opera House and thematic cultural and art park in the Dam Tri lake area, Quang An peninsula, Tay Ho ward.

Delegates attending the project groundbreaking ceremony. Photo: VGP/TL

This is a key project in the cluster of works celebrating the 71st anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2025).

Central delegates attending the ceremony included: Politburo member, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyen Xuan Thang. Former Politburo members: Former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Former Standing member of the Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong; Former Head of the Central Inspection Commission Ngo Quang Du.

Also attending the ceremony were Party Central Committee members: Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh, Permanent Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Education Commission; Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu...

Hanoi leaders attending the ceremony included: Politburo member, Secretary of the City Party Committee, Head of the City's National Assembly Delegation Bui Thi Minh Hoai; Former Politburo member, former Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi; Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan; Vice Chairman of the City People's Council Pham Qui Tien.

The project demonstrates the cultural connection of the world with Vietnamese culture.

Hanoi Opera House was designed by architect Renzo Piano, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. As the first Italian to be included in the Top 100 most influential people in the world, architect Renzo Piano has received many prestigious awards during his 60-year career, such as the Pritzker Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of architecture.

With a floor area of ​​approximately 40,980 m2 (excluding parking and technical areas), nearly 6 times the area of ​​an 11-a-side football field, the theater has two large auditoriums. The opera auditorium (capacity of 1,797 seats) and a multi-purpose auditorium with a mobile seating system that can be moved to create space for standing events such as live music performances, concerts... with a capacity of 1,430 standing seats and 216 balcony seats.

In addition to the two auditoriums, the Theater also has many other multi-purpose spaces such as the Main Hall, Rehearsal and Practice Room, Museum, Observation Deck... This will not only be a place that can serve many different types of art performances such as symphony concerts, Broadway-style music performances, classical opera and ballet, award ceremonies, Gala, large-scale entertainment performances... but also a space for cultural and artistic exchange and large-scale entertainment for the people of the Capital.

Delegates pressed the button to start the project. Photo: VGP/TL

The most distinctive feature of the theater is its "unprecedented" dome architecture, inspired by the ripples of West Lake, with a super thin, super strong structure and covered with a pearl-effect material, to reflect the color of West Lake's water surface according to the movement of time during the day.

Built to host world-class art shows and be the destination of world-famous artists, the Hanoi Opera House is expected to be on the list of the world's most famous art cathedrals in Paris, Milan, Berlin, London, New York, Los Angeles, etc. This will also be a project that demonstrates the values ​​and cultural connections of the world with Vietnamese culture, bringing Vietnam to the world.

Elevating the capital's status in the new era

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan said that throughout history, Hanoi has always been the political, economic, cultural and artistic center of the country, a place where the quintessence and shine of national cultural values ​​converge. The Party, the State and our people always identify culture as both the goal and the driving force of development, considering cultural development on par with economic development, considering people as the center.

Implementing the Hanoi Capital Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 and the Adjustment of the Capital Master Plan to 2045, with a vision to 2065, culture and heritage are identified as one of the five important pillars of development. In the context of deep international integration, investing in iconic cultural works is of great significance, affirming the position of the thousand-year-old capital, while promoting the image of Vietnam as innovative, creative, humane, integrated and sustainably developed.

The investment project to build the Pearl Theater and the thematic cultural and artistic park is invested by Sun Group Corporation, with a total capital of more than 12,000 billion VND, with a land area of ​​about 191,000 m2 in the center of Quang An Peninsula. The project includes a modern, multi-purpose Pearl Theater with a capacity of more than 2,000 seats, serving major cultural and political events of the Capital; along with a thematic cultural and artistic park, meeting the needs of creativity, enjoyment and entertainment of the people, and at the same time being a highlight to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

"This is a project with profound humanity, the goal of serving the community, not for profit and with socialized resources - very rare in the world, because most large theaters are invested or sponsored by the State. The fact that Sun Group Corporation - one of the leading private enterprises has pioneered the investment, with the desire to create a complex of typical cultural works, modern, new architecture, of international stature, demonstrates the aspiration to rise up", Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan emphasized.

Politburo member, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyen Xuan Thang speaks at the ceremony. Photo: VGP/TL

Not only a modern architectural work, the project is also a creative space, cultural exchange and connection, a place where domestic and international art forms converge, serving the majority of the Capital's people and global tourists. This will be a red address for large-scale cultural and artistic events, contributing to the strong development of the cultural and tourism industry.

"In the world, every city has a symbolic cultural project associated with the image of the country... we believe that, when completed, the Opera House and the thematic cultural and artistic park on Quang An Peninsula will contribute to changing the appearance and enhancing the value of Hanoi - an international cultural and tourist destination... Hanoi City commits to creating the most favorable conditions, accompanying and providing maximum support so that the project can be implemented to ensure progress, quality and safety" - Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan emphasized.

Speaking at the ceremony, Politburo member, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyen Xuan Thang emphasized that the groundbreaking of the construction of the Hanoi Opera House and the Cultural and Artistic Park is not only the construction of a symbolic cultural work but also a milestone, a biological proof to affirm the thinking and strategic vision of our Party and State.

According to comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang, the birth of the Hanoi Opera House and the Cultural and Artistic Park is both a place where the world's quintessence converges, what is considered the world's most outstanding progress, to be enjoyed when famous art troupes of the world perform here.

"We hope that this will be a proof for the beginning of having more Opera Houses and more modern cultural works so that the capital Hanoi can be worthy of being a Cultural Capital, a modern - green - beautiful Capital and worthy of the world", Comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang emphasized.

Thuy Linh

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/khoi-cong-du-an-nha-hat-opera-ha-noi-thanh-duong-nghe-thuat-tam-co-quoc-te-102251005115447897.htm