Shark’s Bite: ‘Ready to Hand Over the Reins at Any Moment’

Hanoi has recently proposed the demolition of the Hammerhead building to redevelop the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, sparking mixed reactions from the public.

Unique Design

According to Transerco’s leadership, the area where the Hammerhead building stands used to be the city’s public tram station in the pre-1990s. The station was located at the beginning of Dinh Tien Hoang Street, bearing the addresses 1-3-5 Dinh Tien Hoang Street. It served as a transit hub for tram lines originating from Ho Guom Lake, including the longest route from Ho Guom Lake to Ha Dong (over 10 km).

After 1990, the city discontinued the tram system, and the Ho Guom Lake tram station at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square was allowed to convert its function to commercial operations. Hanoi Electric Tram Company (one of the four entities that formed the Hanoi Transport and Public Service Company, the predecessor of Transerco) collaborated with consulting firms and architects to design the Hammerhead building.

Following discussions and consultations with city leaders, the five-story building with a ‘hammerhead shark’ architectural design took shape. The construction method involved pouring concrete floors and columns and then assembling walls and partitions. This construction technique was not widely used in Vietnam at that time.

Perhaps due to its unique design and construction approach, the building faced strong opposition during its construction. However, with the determination of the managing unit and the support of the city’s leadership during that period, the building was completed and became a landmark in Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi in general, from the 1990s until the present.

The Hammerhead building was constructed on a total area of 310 square meters, with each floor having a built-up area of approximately 260 square meters.

After the building was put into use, the managing unit operated and exploited it for commercial purposes, consistently achieving high efficiency and fulfilling its obligations to the state for over 30 years.

Now, the city plans to demolish the Hammerhead building to redevelop and reorganize the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square.

Ready to Hand Over the Building for a Change

In an interview with Tien Phong newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, General Director of Transerco, shared that as a state-owned enterprise, they had been leased the land and managed the Hammerhead building for long-term commercial activities. Now, the city intends to reclaim and demolish the building to redevelop the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square.

“The corporation fully agrees and is ready to comply with the handover of the entire area and the building upon request. We consider this both an honor and a responsibility to contribute to the city’s development in this new phase,” said Mr. Nam.

Mr. Nam also stated that, overall, after more than 30 years of commercial operation, the Hammerhead building has fulfilled its development mission. This is evident from its initial purpose of serving public transport with an iron and steam tram system. When the tram system was discontinued, the managing unit (formerly Hanoi Electric Tram Company) converted the land use to commercial operations, achieving significant efficiency. Additionally, the “Hammerhead” building has served as an urban highlight and a destination for locals and tourists visiting Hanoi.

“Now that the city intends to reclaim the entire land area of the Hammerhead building, we believe that the building has accomplished its historical mission, including contributing to the city’s development for over 30 years. As the building ceases operations and is handed over to the city for rearrangement and reorganization in this new phase of development, our collective desire is for the city’s leaders to acknowledge the positive contributions of the successive generations of our corporation, who have maintained the building’s stable operations and made significant contributions to the city’s progress,” Mr. Nam expressed.

Regarding the timeline and progress of the handover, Mr. Nam assured that the corporation is prepared to transfer the land and infrastructure at any time upon the city’s request, on the condition of handing over the premises as-is. They will also reassign the building’s employees to other fields, ensuring stable jobs for the workforce.