Vietnam aims for 5 cities at int’l level by 2030

At a Wednesday conference held by the Communist Party’s Secretariat regarding sustainable development of Vietnam’s urban areas by 2030, with vision until 2045, Tran Tuan Anh, head of the Central Economic Commission, said the Party’s decision-making Politburo has requested for quicker, better urbanization, as well as sustainably developing urban areas into networks.

By 2025, the urbanization rate of Vietnam would be around 45 percent, with 950-1,000 urban areas. By 2030, the rate would be at 50 percent with 1,000-1,200 urban areas.

The goal means Vietnam would need 100 more urban areas in the next decade.

The country would also have certain urban centers at national and regional level, with medical, education and cultural criteria similar to other urban areas in countries among the top four in Southeast Asia.

In those urban areas, the ratio between traffic land and construction land must be at 16-26 percent in 2030. Tree coverage for each person on average must reach 8-10 per square meter. Average floor area per capita must reach at least 32 per square meter. The urban areas would need to contribute to around 85 percent of the national gross domestic product.

Vo Van Thuong, standing member of the Secretariat, said urbanization is an important drive for socio-economic growth. Urban planning must be for the long run, with human beings and quality of life as focal points.

“We can build a city with modern infrastructure in a short time, but to shift people’s ways of thinking and perspectives to adapt to urban life would take a long time.”