Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha said that the urbanization revealed shortcomings such as inconsistency, inadequacy, and incomprehensiveness related to legal provisions on urban development.
Vietnam has a total of 813 urban areas
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The draft law consists of seven chapters with 66 articles, stipulating the management of an urban system; development of urban areas as planned; investment for urban development; financial resources for urban development; State management and the involvement of organizations and individuals in urban development.
Once it’s put into effect, the law will be applicable to domestic agencies, organizations and individuals; and foreign organizations and individuals involved in urban development.
During a recent discussion on the draft law, NA deputies agreed the importance of the legal document for an overall adjustment of urban development in Vietnam to ensure sustainability. The law must address existing challenges such as urban density, ultra-thin houses, expensive road construction and high-rise limits, they said.
Head of the NA’s Judicial Committee Le Thi Nga said the law is related to many other laws, so it is necessary that the compiling body to make a detailed report on related laws as well as effects of the law once it is passed.
Other deputies said the law must ensure improved efficiency and effectiveness of State management on urban development through clearly defining the rights and responsibility of State management bodies from central to local levels; parties involved in the formulation of urban development strategies, plans, and programs and in the investment for urban development.
They also called for the completion of mechanisms facilitating the public to make investment into urban development projects.
Head of the NA’s Board for Deputy Affairs Tran Van Tuy said the draft law should include specific regulations on which projects must be built underground as well as regulations on the use of underground space.
Head of the NA’s Finance and Budget Committee Nguyen Duc Hai said the draft law should detail regulations on compensation and land clearance for urban development to limit claims and appeals related to land retrieve.
NA General Secretary Nguyen Hanh Phuc raised a number of issues excluded from the draft law such as the management and development of urban transport, development of public places, urban renovation, public hygiene, waste treatment, management of street names, and house numbers.
The NA Standing Committee requested the opinions to be noted in the draft law before submitting to the National Assembly Standing Committee for consideration in the coming months.
After 30 years of renewal, the country’s urbanization has reportedly done well with the national industrialization and modernization cause. The number of urban areas increased from 629 in 1999 to 813 in 2017 with Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi being recognized as special areas.
Together with fortified technical and social infrastructure, urban areas have dominated the share of gross domestic product and a number of key development norms, making marked contributions to the socio-economic development of regions and the country as a whole.
