The proposal to turn the five districts of Dong Anh, Gia Lam, Thanh Tri, Hoai Duc, and Dan Phuong into new urban districts is a key initiative for Hanoi’s development strategy. This move aims to bring about tangible improvements to the city’s infrastructure and enhance the quality of life for its residents.
Real estate in Gia Lam district has become a focal point, with various property types, from detached houses to shophouses and apartments, attracting attention. Illustration: Trung Nguyen/Tin Tuc Newspaper
Dong Anh and Gia Lam have substantially met the criteria for becoming urban districts
According to Official Letter No. 233/KH-UBND dated August 6, 2024, from the Hanoi People’s Committee, Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts have essentially completed the investment, construction, and development phase required for the proposal to establish new urban districts and wards. The remaining two-thirds of the districts are currently undergoing a review and evaluation process to assess the infrastructure development level in the areas proposed for the new urban districts and wards.
Regarding the specific roadmap, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, Tran Sy Thanh, stated that the city has requested Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts to collaborate with the Department of Home Affairs and other relevant departments to finalize the proposal dossiers. They aim to work with central ministries and sectors to obtain approval for the proposal from the National Assembly’s Standing Committee in the fourth quarter of 2024 or the first quarter of 2025.
For Thanh Tri and Hoai Duc districts, it is essential to proactively coordinate with departments and provide dossiers and data to facilitate the assessment of criteria. They should also develop solutions to accelerate progress in meeting the unachieved criteria, prioritizing the allocation of district budget funds for infrastructure projects to ensure the completion of the criteria.
Thanh Tri and Hoai Duc districts are aiming to obtain approval for their proposal to establish urban districts from the National Assembly’s Standing Committee in the fourth quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, Dan Phuong district will continue to review the implementation of the proposal, evaluate the criteria, and formulate specific solutions. They will closely coordinate with departments to address challenges and report to the city’s Steering Committee on the roadmap and proactively propose options and timelines for the proposal dossiers.
Providing further clarification, Director of the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment, Le Anh Quan, stated that Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts have met the criteria and fulfilled the minimum standards set by the National Assembly’s resolutions. Currently, these two districts are working with the Department of Construction and the Department of Planning and Architecture to finalize dossiers for submission to the Ministry of Construction for evaluation and recognition of infrastructure development standards in the proposed urban district and ward areas. This will serve as a basis for completing the proposal for approval by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee.
Regarding the “Natural Area” and “Population Scale” standards, all three districts of Thanh Tri, Hoai Duc, and Dan Phuong meet the criteria for establishing urban districts. However, none of the three districts meet the criteria for establishing wards. In terms of the “Structure and Level of Socio-economic Development” and “Urban Infrastructure System” standards, none of the three districts fully meet the criteria for establishing wards and urban districts.
Many experts agree that transforming the five districts into urban districts is a pivotal task in the capital’s development strategy for the coming years. This move aims to bring about substantive changes in infrastructure and improve the lives of residents across all aspects. However, it is essential to adhere to the provisions of the 2024 Law on the Capital, the Hanoi Capital Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision towards 2050, and the Adjustment Plan for the Hanoi Capital Master Plan until 2045, with a vision towards 2065. In reality, most districts striving to meet the criteria for becoming urban districts and wards still face challenges and obstacles.
Challenges and Obstacles Remain
Le Anh Quan, Director of the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment, further informed that Hanoi has not yet approved the Urban Development Program. Additionally, according to the Master Plan for Hanoi’s Construction 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 scope. Among them, Dan Phuong district faces challenges in meeting urban planning requirements for its entire district boundary. In terms of achieving the criteria, most communes in the five districts have not met the criterion for self-balancing revenue and expenditure budgets.
Given this situation, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, Tran Sy Thanh, has provided specific instructions to the relevant departments and localities to address these challenges and obstacles. Notably, for the procedures and processes to finalize the proposal dossiers for Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts to become urban districts and wards, the city has directed the formulation of guidelines and instructions on the sequence and procedures for developing the proposal for establishing urban districts and related contents for approval as per regulations. The city has also instructed the organization of a working session with the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and relevant units to seek their opinions and address any difficulties and obstacles.
Moreover, the relevant departments, sectors, and localities have been tasked with finalizing dossiers and implementing the necessary procedures and processes for the Government’s decision to approve the adjustment of the Master Plan for Hanoi’s Construction until 2045, with a vision towards 2065. This ensures that the establishment of urban districts and wards within the districts aligns with the planning framework. They are also responsible for advising the city on urban classification, reviewing classification criteria, and preparing reports on evaluating the infrastructure development level in the proposed urban district and ward areas for approval and recognition.
Regarding the organization of reviewing and evaluating the criteria for the proposal’s implementation, accelerating the progress of unmet criteria, and carrying out the necessary procedures and processes for establishing urban districts, Chairman Tran Sy Thanh has instructed the relevant departments to advise the Hanoi People’s Committee on submitting a request to the central authorities for permission to submit concurrently the Report on Evaluating the Infrastructure Development Level in the proposed urban district and ward areas and the Proposal for Establishing Urban Districts and Wards with the Urban Subdivision Planning.
At the same time, the city will continue to study and report to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on the specific characteristics of Hanoi regarding the criterion of self-balancing revenue and expenditure budgets at the communal level when the districts complete the proposal for establishing urban districts and implement the pilot model of urban governance. The departments will collaborate with the districts to prepare reports on evaluating the infrastructure development level in the proposed urban district and ward areas and draft the proposal for establishing urban districts and wards.
Additionally, the People’s Committees of the five districts should review the standards for administrative units. If the conditions are not met, they should implement arrangements for the administrative units of communes (towns) to establish wards within the proposal for establishing urban districts, ensuring that the conditions and standards for population size and natural area are met according to Resolution No. 35/2023/UBTVQH15 on the rearrangement of administrative units at the district and communal levels for the 2023-2030 period and the National Assembly’s Standing Committee resolutions on administrative unit standards and classification.
The departments, sectors, and localities are required to periodically report on the proposal’s implementation progress, any difficulties and obstacles encountered, and proposed solutions to the Hanoi People’s Committee for timely guidance and resolution.
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