Hanoi trip report: construction and metro updates

Construction and transport projects in Hanoi, including the demolition of the Shark Jaw building, Hanoi’s future “floating” opera house, demolition of the historic Post Equipment Factory, Vinhomes world-themed shophouses, West Lake’s fantasy Eurotown and groundscaper apartment, hope for the revival of the VietinBank tower, and metro construction updates.

I was in Hanoi in October and November of 2025. This is my favourite time of year to visit, as the city has a proper autumn with cool weather (unlike Saigon, with its two seasons of Hot And Dry/Hot And Wet).

I had one great day (blue skies, low pollution, walking around in jeans without breaking a sweat), while most days were overcast and rainy. As a result, I didn’t get to visit every place I had planned.

These are the notes from my Hanoi trip in October/November 2025.

Demolition of the Shark Jaw Building

Ho Guom Plaza (also referred to as the Shark Jaw Building) was a famous building, mainly for its location at the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake.

[Shark Jaw Building in 2024]

The building was demolished in 2025 to turn the area into a plaza and make more space around the lake. There is now no trace of the building, and in its place is a paved plaza.

[Where the Shark Jaw Building used to be in 2025]

I used to go to the Highlands Cafe in the building to admire the view of the lake. I will miss the cafes here, but I approve of projects that make more space in the city.

The main problem is that the area needs to be properly landscaped into a city plaza with some trees. In its current form, it looks like a car park.

Hanoi’s future “floating” opera house

The new Hanoi Opera House is being referred to as the Floating Opera House due to its appearance of hovering on the water. The opera house is being built on the east side of West Lake as part of a major redevelopment of this lakeside area. Construction began in October 2025, so there is not much to see yet.

I got a better view of the construction site from the other side of the lake, and it should make for a striking landmark on the waterfront. Getting around this area is a problem though, and there are no metro lines planned for this part of the lake.

[Construction cranes for the new Hanoi Opera House.]

Here are some images of what it will look like.

Demolition of the historic Post Equipment Factory

One of the heritage buildings I have been following is the Post Equipment Factory at 61 Tran Phu. It was being demolished in 2022 until it was ordered to stop demolition.

[Post Equipment Factory in 2022.]

The buildings along the Tran Phu side have now been demolished.

[Post Equipment Factory in 2025.]

I have seen two different versions of a building on this site. This version shows a modern apartment block on a podium.

Another version by VHA Architects shows a multi-purpose building with the heritage facade incorporated into the design.

Vinhomes world-themed shophouses

Vinhomes is one of the largest property developers in Vietnam, though the biggest projects in Hanoi are in the outer suburbs (such as Vinhomes Ocean Park).

Vinhomes The Gallery is next to Giang Vo Lake. It’s about 10 minutes walk from the future Kim Ma Station on Line 3.

This is a typical Vinhomes development where rows of Euro-style identical shophouses are built. The project is divided into sections: Little Soho (New York City), Little Ginza (Tokyo), and Little GUM (Moscow).

On the other side of Giang Vo Lake is the Dolce By Wyndham Hanoi Golden Lake, which is the the world’s first gold-plated hotel. You can see the gold hotel in the background of this construction photo.

[Construction site of Vinhomes The Gallery.]

If you search for a Vinhomes project, the search results are filled with agent websites with variations of the project name. Many of the agent websites are showing The Gallery project with these apartment towers. There is no sign of this on the official site (thegallery.vinhomes.com), so this might have been an earlier version.

Ciputra West Lake West

Tay Ho Tay (West Lake West) is one of the largest development projects in Hanoi. I have been visiting every time I come to Hanoi, and for this trip, I was interested in seeing the area around the future Tay Ho Tay metro station that is being developed by Ciputra.

Line 2 of the Hanoi Metro (Hoan Kiem Line) began construction in October 2025, and there will be a station in the Ciputra urban area. Line 2 will go from the airport to the old city area at Hoan Kiem Lake, so property near a station on this line will be sought after.

The Hanoi Metro doesn’t have a detailed map of the future stations, but Ciputra made this map that shows the general location of Tay Ho Tay Station. The line is in the wrong location at Hoan Kiem, so don’t base real estate purchases on this map if you are looking to buy near a station.

[Map of Ciputra Hanoi in the West Lake area.]

The first project block I visited in the Ciputra area was Noble Palace Tay Ho. Here is what it is planned to look like.

I have seen these imitation European city developments in Phu Quoc and Ha Long City, but this is the first time I have seen one in Hanoi.

Work on the shophouse apartments was underway when I visited.

Next to the Noble Palace area is Noble Crystal Tay Ho. This is a giant wall of apartments featuring 5 interconnected 40-storey towers. It’s long enough to be a groundscraper if it weren’t so tall.

Here is what it will eventually look like. In the background is the iconic Nhat Tan Bridge.

VietinBank Business Centre

Near the Ciputra area is the site of the VietinBank Business Centre.

VietinBank Business Centre by Foster + Partners features two towers that will be used for office, hotel, and retail space. The tallest tower (68-storeys/365m) will be the headquarters for VietinBank, while the second tower (48-storeys) will house a five-star hotel and serviced apartments.

Construction of the VietinBank Tower began in 2010, but the project was abandoned and remains unfinished. VietinBank announced in July that it is seeking investors to restart the project. Meanwhile, Foster + Partners has removed any mention of the project from their website.

[The abandoned VietinBank tower.]

Metro construction updates

My general rule for metro updates is that I will do a separate report when a new line or section has opened. There have been no new lines added to the network over the last year, so I will post metro updates here in this general construction report.

I rode Line 2A and Line 3 to continue to familiarise myself with the network and to check out some stations I haven’t been to. I have a Hanoi metro website (hanoirailtransit.com) that has photos and maps.

[Line 3 of the Hanoi Metro.]

The underground section of Line 3 is still under construction.

[Tunnel entrance near Kim Ma Station]

This will be a useful line when it is connected to Hanoi Railway Station.

[Hanoi Station of Line 3 (Hanoi Railway Station in the background).]

The underground section has been slow work, and there were problems when mud erupted above ground due to the tunnelling. One of the tunnels has been completed, and the latest estimate has the underground section opening in 2027.

[Construction work at Van Mieu Station.]

I’m interested to see how the urban areas around the metro stations develop. This is the site for Sun Felizia Suites near Vietnam National University Station on Line 3.

Here is what Sun Felizia Suites will look like upon completion. The mall next to the station is already useful, and it would be even better if they made an elevated walkway from the apartments to the station.

Goldmark City is a big cluster of apartments near Cau Dien Station on Line 3. This could also use a pedestrian bridge to make it quicker to reach the station.

[Goldmark City]

Hanoi now has two new lines under construction (Line 2 and Line 5), and the underground section of Line 3 is expected to open in 2027.

I am usually back in Hanoi once a year, so I will check in on the new lines on my next trip. Let me know if there are any other projects you would like to see featured, and subscribe ot the site to get future updates.