As Hanoi moves ahead with a plan to construct the world's tallest broadcast tower, not everyone is thrilled about the project, following last week's announcement of the 636-meter structure's approximate cost: US$900 million.
Many called into question the purpose of the actual tower, as its massive budget goes against current building trends around the world, according to Zing. The tower's investor, VTV, also acknowledges this, as the company has applied for tax breaks typically reserved for investments in underserved areas, such as waivers on land-use fees and land clearance taxes.
Dr. Pham Ngoc Dang, chairman of the Vietnam Construction Association, believes now is not the time to build a record-breaking TV tower, which would take the crown from Tokyo's 634-meter Skytree.
“[This is] a construction project which does not benefit industry or development and is only meant to show off. There is no need to build a tower during such difficult budget circumstances,” Dang told Zing. “That money should perhaps be invested in constructing schools, hospitals or improved transport infrastructure.”
For its part, VTV argues the tower will provide a symbolic benefit to the capital in addition to economic development as part of the sprawling US$2.5 billion Starlake mega development on the city’s outskirts, which is expected to include hotels, apartments and office buildings.
“The significance of the Vietnamese TV tower will be [to provide] symbolic value, national economic development and to attract tourists,” VTV's deputy general director Nguyen Thanh Luong told Zing last year. “While broadcast transmission is not a priority, we will still install an antenna system on the tower once it's complete.”
At a press conference held yesterday in the capital, government officials also assured the public that VTV's forthcoming tower would be a multipurpose structure which would benefit tourism and trade as well as broadcasting reports Thanh Nien.
While public opinion varies, the VTV project shows no signs of slowing down. If all goes according to plan, the new broadcast tower and its surrounding structures will be up and running by 2021.
[Photo via Wannatrip]
