Restoration of the 120-year-old Toad Fountain

The Toad Fountain is located in Dien Hong flower garden in Trang Tien ward (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi), built by the French in 1901.

Dien Hong Flower Garden is one of the few flower gardens with historical and architectural value in the central area of ​​Hanoi, and plays an important role in completely connecting the architectural landscape space of Ly Thai To flower garden, State Bank square, Hoan Kiem Lake area and vicinity.

The Toad Fountain was built in 1901 and is now in serious disrepair.

Implementing Program 03-CTr/TU dated March 17, 2021 of the City Party Committee on "Urban beautification, urban development and urban economy of Hanoi City in the period of 2021-2025"; Action Program between the Hanoi People's Committee and the ILE-DE-FRANCE Regional Council in the period of 2018 - 2021; Plan of the Hanoi People's Committee on renovating, upgrading and building new parks and flower gardens in the city in the period of 2021 - 2025 and Program 04-CTr/QU dated August 6, 2021 of the Hoan Kiem District Party Committee on "Renovation, beautification and urban development of Hoan Kiem District", the Hoan Kiem District People's Committee has assigned the Hoan Kiem District Construction Investment Project Management Board to be the investor of the Dien Hong flower garden renovation project, Hoan Kiem District.

The project was basically completed with items of trees, lawns, walkways and urban equipment in January 2023. However, for the fountain item, the Hoan Kiem District Investment and Construction Project Management Board only carried out urgent repairs with solutions such as pruning trees growing on the roof, waterproofing the water tank, clearing the nozzle, and reinforcing the steel belt.

The Toad Fountain, built in 1901, is one of the unique small architectural works bearing both Eastern and Western influences. Over time, the above work has seriously degraded due to the banyan tree growing inside causing cracks and structural displacement, the stone pillars are tilted, the water tank is soaked, and the water spray system is not working. Faced with this situation, in 2020, the Hanoi Department of Construction had a temporary reinforcement solution with steel belts to hold the stone structures.

To promote the value of this small but unique architectural work, in mid-2023, the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem District continued to assign the task to the District Construction Investment Project Management Board to coordinate with specialized consulting units, based on the opinions of city departments and leading experts, to develop a plan to restore the Con Coc fountain.

On October 26, 2023, the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem District held a seminar on "Renovation plan of Con Coc fountain under the Dien Hong flower garden renovation project, Hoan Kiem District". The renovation plan of the consulting unit received consensus and high appreciation from the delegates attending the seminar.

Based on the comments of experts at the seminar, the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem District assigned the Hoan Kiem District Construction Investment Project Management Board to direct the consulting unit to research and complete the overall renovation plan with the following scale: renovating the water supply and drainage system, fountain; arranging the lighting system; dismantling all stone structures, cleaning and repairing broken parts according to technical requirements; replacing the internal brick structure with reinforced concrete and then assembling the dismantled components in their original positions.

The renovation process will apply open construction methods, protective fences using transparent materials so that people and experts can observe throughout the renovation process.

Up to now, the District Construction Investment Project Management Board has completed investment procedures according to regulations and started the renovation of the Con Coc flower garden fountain on August 19, 2024. The project is expected to be completed in November 2024.

According to the representative of the Hoan Kiem District Construction Investment Project Management Board, the fountain restoration plan was implemented methodically and treated as a relic. The completion of the restoration of the Con Coc fountain will contribute to completing the final piece in improving the appearance of Dien Hong flower garden and the surrounding landscape.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/quan-hoan-kiem-tu-bo-dai-phun-nuoc-con-coc-hon-120-nam-tuoi.html