Amended Capital Law: perfecting rules to boost Capital Region development

As the draft of the amended Capital Law covers the development of the capital region, experts have written to The Hanoi Times to contribute to the early finalization of the draft.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. To Van Hoa, Vice Rector of Hanoi Law University:

The Capital Region as a sustainable foundation for the capital and surrounding areas

The Capital Region is what Hanoi aspires to grow into. The development of the Capital Region must facilitate the sustainable growth of the surrounding areas.

The Thang Long Boulevard connects Hanoi with the provinces in the west and northwest. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

The establishment of the capital region must attract the interest of neighboring provinces and cities, and the draft law must show them their potential benefits in participating in the socio-economic growth of the capital region.

The draft of the amended Capital Law stipulates that Hanoi's neighboring provinces and cities must cooperate and connect with each other to drive the region's growth. However, the basic principles of the draft law are not strong enough to attract neighboring localities to cooperate and contribute to the region's development.

In the draft of the amended Capital Law, there is only one article that defines the region. It stipulates that the capital law covers the area of Hanoi and other northern provinces, including Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Ha Nam and Hoa Binh. The article only lists the names of the provinces and cities in the capital region while giving no indication of its concept, purpose and function. Therefore, the draft law creates little momentum to bring the localities together.

The Capital Region is a geographical area consisting of Hanoi and neighboring provinces and cities, which should contribute to the socio-economic development of the whole region based on their mutual and own advantages.
According to the draft law, the functions of the Capital Region Council can be perfected to serve the development of the Capital Region, including the establishment of the Capital Region Development Steering Committee and the Capital Region Development Coordination Committee. The Steering Committee is responsible for developing the rules and connecting provinces and cities for the sustainable development of the Capital Region. The Coordination Committee is in charge of advising the Steering Committee on the region's development policies and organizing resources among localities for the region's sustainability.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Tung, Vice Rector of Hanoi University of Civil Engineering:

Decentralizing power for Hanoi's proactive world integration

The Hanoi People's Committee must be empowered to connect with other cities and create a metropolitan network. In this network, each city is a link in a regional economic chain consisting of a network of national roads, highways, ring roads, and cross-border routes by road, sea, and air. It is expected to connect the cities in the capital region with other cities in Vietnam and those in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the world.

The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Public Private Partnership (PPP) models should be combined with efficient supply chain management for better development and administration of the capital city. Such a strategy must be maintained throughout the content and articles of the amended Capital Law. This could become a cycle with many links, and any broken link will disrupt the development of the capital city. 

The TOD model is now being adopted by many nations in urban planning and development. Therefore, policymakers need to study and integrate the TOD model into the amended Capital Law to design, renovate, expand and improve urban development and solve problems of traffic, environment and living standards in the Capital Region and Hanoi.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Anh Tuan, President of Foreign Trade University:

A specific mechanism is needed for priority sectors in the development of the capital region

We need to address the relationship between Hanoi and other cities and provinces in the country and the Capital Region. At present, there are no rules and regulations for the development and management of such relations. The amended Capital Law must clearly define Hanoi's role, function and responsibility towards other provinces and cities in the Capital Region.

The draft amended Capital Law must include a specific mechanism for priority sectors that drive the growth of the Capital Region, including regional transportation, green city development, circular city development, smart city construction, and the establishment of digital cities.

The draft law should also empower Hanoi and the capital region to invest more in infrastructure development, especially the expansion of Noi Bai International Airport and roads connecting the capital with other provinces and cities such as Bac Ninh, Phu Tho and Thai Nguyen.