The City’s Evolution: From Rural Districts to Urban Wards

Hanoi’s People’s Committee has unveiled plans to develop five districts: Dong Anh, Gia Lam, Thanh Tri, Hoai Duc, and Dan Phuong, into new urban districts. This move aims to boost the city’s urbanization ratio and enhance its overall development.

The committee instructed the five districts to review their administrative standards and make necessary arrangements to ensure compliance with Resolution 35 of the National Assembly Standing Committee regarding population and natural area requirements.

Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts aim to have their proposals for becoming new urban districts approved in the fourth quarter of 2024 or the first quarter of 2025. They are working closely with the Department of Home Affairs and other relevant departments to finalize their dossiers and coordinate with central ministries for appraisal.

Thanh Tri and Hoai Duc districts are targeting approval for their proposals in the fourth quarter of 2025. These districts are proactively coordinating with departments and providing necessary data for evaluating criteria. They are also developing solutions to accelerate progress on unmet criteria, including prioritizing budget allocation for infrastructure projects to meet the requirements.

As for Dan Phuong district, it will continue to review the implementation of its proposal, evaluate criteria, and develop specific solutions. The district will closely coordinate with relevant departments to address any challenges and report to the city’s Steering Committee on the roadmap and proposed solutions, including the timeline for preparing the dossier for becoming a new urban district.

Previously, in a report on the results of the implementation of the proposal for the five districts in the first half of 2024, Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts had completed all criteria and met the minimum standards as per the National Assembly Standing Committee’s resolution. Currently, these districts are working with the Departments of Construction and Planning and Architecture to finalize dossiers for submission to the Ministry of Construction for appraisal of infrastructure development standards in the proposed urban areas.

Regarding Thanh Tri, Hoai Duc, and Dan Phuong districts, they have met the criteria for “natural area” and “population scale” for establishing new urban districts. However, none of these districts have met the criteria for establishing new wards.

In terms of the criteria for “economic structure and development level” and “urban infrastructure system,” all three districts have not fully met the requirements for establishing new wards and urban districts.

Hanoi Aims for at Least 18 Urban Districts

According to the Master Plan for Hanoi’s Development until 2030, with a vision towards 2050, the four districts of Dong Anh, Gia Lam, Hoai Duc, and Dan Phuong still have areas outside the urban development boundary. Among them, Dan Phuong district faces challenges in meeting urban planning requirements for its entire boundary.

Additionally, most communes in the five districts have not met the criterion of self-balancing revenue and expenditure in their budgets.

Hanoi has expanded from four core urban districts (Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, and Hai Ba Trung) to 12 urban districts, including Bac Tu Liem, Nam Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Ha Dong, Hoang Mai, Long Bien, Tay Ho, and Thanh Xuan. According to the National Assembly Standing Committee’s regulations, the ratio of urban districts to the total number of district-level administrative units in a centrally governed city must be at least 60%.

This means Hanoi should have at least 18 urban districts, but currently, it has only 12, along with one town and 17 rural districts, resulting in an urbanization ratio of only 43%.

Last week, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh emphasized the goal of having Dong Anh and Gia Lam recognized as new urban districts by the end of 2024. In 2025, the city will focus on transforming Thanh Tri and Hoai Duc into new urban districts.

“This is a great opportunity for Hanoi to change its philosophy on urban development and the development of the capital,” said Chairman Thanh.

Mr. Le Anh Quan, Director of the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment, affirmed that Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts have met all the criteria and conditions according to the minimum standards set by the National Assembly Standing Committee’s resolution.