According to Directive 20 issued on July 12 on a number of urgent and drastic tasks to prevent and resolve environmental pollution, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested Hanoi to implement solutions to convert organizations and individuals to vehicles, ensuring that by July 1, 2026, there will be no more motorbikes or mopeds using fossil fuels circulating in the Ring Road 1 area.
According to the Hanoi Capital Transport Planning to 2030, with a vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister, Hanoi's Ring Road 1 will close the inner city and core areas of the capital after completion.
Specifically, the routes include: Tranhat Chan street (Tranhat Chan - Nguyen Khoi intersection) - Dai Co Viet - Xa Dan - O Cho Dua - De La Thanh - Hoang Cau - De La Thanh - Cau Giay - Buoi - Lac Long Quan - Au Co - Nghi Tam - Yen Phu - Tran Quang Khai - Tran Khanh Du - Nguyen Khoi.
The route covers the districts of Cau Giay, Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da (old). Ring Road 1 is also the main urban axis connecting from east to west, passing through the central area of Hanoi.
The 7.2km Ring Road 1 through the central area (from Tranhat Chan - Nguyen Khoi intersection to Voi Phuc intersection) has been built with 2 light overpasses at the Tranhat Chan - Kim Nguu - Lo Duc and Tranhat Chan - Bach Mai - Pho Hue intersections, 1 Kim Lien underpass (Dai Co Viet - Xa Dan - Giai Phong intersection).
In fact, the Ring Road 1 project has not been closed because there is still a section from Hoang Cau to Voi Phuc under construction. The Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc section is more than 2.2 km long, with a cross-section of 50 m, starting at the intersection with Cat Linh - La Thanh - Yen Lang road at Hoang Cau (old Dong Da district), ending at the Voi Phuc intersection (old Ba Dinh district).
According to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, some houses on De La Thanh Street are being demolished to hand over the site for the Ring Road 1 project, Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc section. However, most of the site on the route has not been handed over.
The Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc section is currently only 7-8m wide, with 2 lanes, and is often congested, especially during rush hour.
At the question-and-answer session of the 25th session of the 16th Hanoi People's Council on July 9, Mr. Nguyen Phi Thuong - Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction - said that the Ring Road 1 project (Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc section) is a long and complicated project, especially site clearance (GPMB).
"In total, 1,981 households have to be cleared of land, after having a commitment and determination, the city has directed very strongly. The implementation results are quite positive, with clear changes. However, the plan to complete the project's site clearance in the second quarter has not met expectations" - Mr. Thuong said.
Mr. Thuong said that currently, out of 1,981 households, the city has paid land clearance fees to 1,297 households, accounting for 2/3; 633 households, accounting for more than 1/3, are behind schedule compared to what was promised.
"We have built barriers and cut off electricity and water for site clearance. With this measure, Dong Da district (old) reclaimed 50 households, Ba Dinh district (old) reclaimed 129 households. However, the situation is very complicated, currently only 3 wards have received more than 400 petitions from people" - Mr. Thuong said.
According to Mr. Thuong, up to now, the 3 wards have promised and are determined to strive to complete the site clearance related to the above project in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Ring Road 1 project, Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc section, has a total investment of nearly VND 7,200 billion from the city budget, of which the cost of site clearance is VND 5,800 billion, and the construction of the road is VND 636 billion.
The project was approved in December 2017, expected to be completed in 2020, but behind schedule.
Because it passes through the core districts of the capital and has a high population density, the total investment of the project is very large, most of which is paid for site clearance. Therefore, Ring Road 1, Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc section, is often mentioned as "the most expensive road on the planet".
