A groundbreaking ceremony for the Hanoi Opera House and Thematic Cultural and Artistic Park project was held in Tay Ho Ward on October 5 by the Hanoi People’s Committee, marking the beginning of one of the capital’s most ambitious cultural developments in decades.

The project, covering an area of 40 hectares with total investment capital of more than VND 12.756 trillion (over USD 480 million), will be built on the Quang An Peninsula by developer Sun Group, one of Vietnam's biggest real estate players.

Once completed in 2027, it will comprise a modern, multifunctional opera house with nearly 2,000 seats and a cultural park designed to serve major political and cultural events of the capital, as well as everyday recreational and creative needs of residents and visitors.

The Hanoi Opera House, also known as the Pearl Opera House, is designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. The building’s distinctive feature is its dome structure, inspired by the gentle ripples of West Lake. The ultra-thin, high-strength roof will be coated with a mother-of-pearl-like material, reflecting the changing hues of the lake’s surface throughout the day.

The opera house will include two main auditoriums: a 1,797-seat opera hall and a versatile multi-purpose hall with 1,430 standing places and 216 balcony seats, suitable for concerts, live shows, and large-scale events. Other spaces include rehearsal rooms, a museum, viewing terraces, and an expansive main foyer.

With a total floor area almost six times the size of a standard football pitch, the complex will also feature surrounding green spaces, lakes, and lotus ponds, all revitalised as part of an integrated cultural landscape.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Duc Tuan said the project reflects the city’s vision to build a capital that is “civilised, modern, and rich in cultural identity.”

He noted that the Hanoi Opera House and the cultural park are key components of the 2021-2030 Hanoi Capital Planning and the 2045-2065 General Adjustment Plan, in which culture and heritage are identified as one of five central pillars of development.

“In the context of deep international integration, investing in iconic cultural works of this scale carries profound meaning,” he. “It reaffirms Hanoi’s thousand-year heritage and promotes the image of a creative, humane, and sustainably developing Vietnam.”

He added that the project is entirely funded through social resources, not public investment, which is a rare model for a cultural complex of this magnitude. “The city is committed to creating the most favourable conditions to ensure the project is completed on schedule, with the highest standards of quality and safety,” he said.

Also addressing the ceremony, Nguyen Xuan Thang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said the project represents “a milestone of strategic vision” by the Party and State in developing culture and people as the driving forces of national progress.

“When completed, the Hanoi Opera House and Cultural Park will stand as a cultural landmark of international stature, a meaningful gift for the 71st anniversary of Hanoi’s Liberation Day (October 10),” he said.

Thang also called for the synchronised completion of surrounding transport infrastructure so that “residents can fully enjoy the values that this work will bring.”

As part of the project, nearby ponds and lakes such as Pho Linh Pagoda’s lotus pond and Thuy Su Lake will be cleaned, restored, and planted with Tay Ho lotus. Plans also call for the creation of eight boat docks around West Lake, including one near the opera house, to facilitate access for visitors and tourists via a scenic waterway route.