On November 5th, 2025, in Hanoi, the Department of Architectural Planning (under the Ministry of Construction) chaired and coordinated with the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association to organize a workshop on "Modern urban planning and management to improve the quality of life in urban areas in Vietnam", with the participation of many managers, experts, scientists, representatives of international organizations and businesses. This event is within the framework of the Vietnam Urban Sustainable Development Forum 2025, organized by the Ministry of Construction in coordination with the Central Strategic Policy Committee.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Director of the Department of Architectural Planning Tran Thu Hang said that in recent years, the urbanization process in Vietnam has been taking place rapidly, bringing profound changes to the country's appearance. The urban system is increasingly expanding, diverse in scale and function, and has become an important driving force for socio-economic development, a convergence of knowledge, creativity, technology and innovation.
From the practical implementation of Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW and through summarizing many years of urban development, Director Tran Thu Hang emphasized 5 key orientations that need to be prioritized in the coming period, namely: Perfecting the system of institutions, policies and modern urban planning standards, ensuring consistency and synchronization between relevant legal documents; building a national urban planning database and a urban digital twin model, connecting with the shared data platform of the Digital Government; developing a multi-center urban model, strengthening regional connectivity and forming urban, industrial and rural corridors, towards the distribution of harmonious and sustainable development space; promoting the reconstruction and renovation of old urban areas, heritage urban areas, coastal urban areas, delta and mountainous areas, ensuring a balance between conservation and development goals; improving the capacity of urban planning and management staff; building a network of experts, planners, architects and managers to participate in the process of planning, implementation and supervision.
Director Tran Thu Hang delivered the opening speech at the workshop.
“In this context, the thematic workshop ‘Modern Urban Planning and Governance to Enhance the Quality of Urban Life in Vietnam’ will focus on discussing and exchanging insights on two main pillars: innovating urban planning toward a holistic, regionally connected, data-driven, human-centered approach; and modernizing urban governance through a streamlined two-tier government model that is effective and efficient, integrating e-government, digital government, and smart city solutions,” Hang emphasized, adding that this is also the core spirit of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW on developing a well-coordinated, modern, sustainable, distinctive, and climate-resilient urban system in Vietnam that ensures social security and improves people’s quality of life.
Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Trần Ngọc Chính, President of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association, stated that after nearly four decades of renovation, development, and integration, Vietnam’s urban system has achieved remarkable accomplishments. The country now has more than 900 urban areas, with an urbanization rate of over 44%, contributing approximately 75% of the national GDP. Many cities have become centers of innovation, services, finance, science and technology, industrial development, and key transportation hubs.
However, development remains uneven across regions; disparities persist in technical and social infrastructure; urban spaces are fragmented and lack distinct identity; environmental quality and housing conditions have declined; while urban planning and governance have not kept up with the demands of digital transformation and climate change adaptation.
According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Chinh, urban planning, construction, management and sustainable development need to shift from the mindset of “planning for each urban area” to “planning for the urban system”, ensuring regional connectivity, openness, and adaptability toward green economic development, circular economy, and energy transition. This is a breakthrough, central mindset, taking science, technology and innovation as the main driving force for urban development from planning, construction, infrastructure to governance, culture and urban life.
Attending the workshop, Mr. Phan Thanh Hai - Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Hue City expressed the view that urban development cannot be separated from heritage conservation. For many years, Hue has been known as a "heritage city", a place where converges tangible and intangible heritage and unique ecological landscapes. However, the rapid urbanization process has created great pressure on conservation work, as the growing demand for housing and modern infrastructure poses a risk of distorting heritage spaces.
Workshop scene.
Through her speech, Ms. Boni Elena - UN-Habitat's Regional Coordinator for Urban Development and Knowledge Management in the Asia-Pacific region shared international experiences in developing sustainable and climate-resilient cities and suggested that Vietnam should take advantage of global frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda, the New Urban Agenda and the UN-Habitat Strategy for the period 2026-2029 to promote inclusive and sustainable urban development and increase resilience to climate change.
Ms. Boni Elena emphasized the role of regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) or the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanization Strategy (ASUS), and recommended that Vietnam build a platform to monitor sustainable development goals (SDGs) and apply the voluntary local reporting (VLR) model to increase transparency and policy connection between the central and local levels.
At the workshop, many experts and delegates commented that the policy of streamlining the administrative apparatus will help concentrate investment resources, but also requires urban authorities to correctly determine the planning orientation, strictly control population distribution, and aim for sustainable development on all three pillars: economy, environment and society.
Concluding the workshop, the Organizing Committee emphasized modern urban planning and management is not only a technical task but also the art of organizing human living space. Opinions and recommendations at the workshop will be an important basis to help the Ministry of Construction continue to perfect mechanisms and policies, contributing to the successful implementation of the goal of building a synchronous, modern, green, smart and distinctive urban system in Vietnam for a prosperous and happy Vietnam.