Regulatory reform, infrastructure development key to Hanoi's growth

Over the past two years, the capital city of Hanoi has achieved remarkable results in socio-economic growth since the Resolution of the 17th Hanoi Party Congress was passed on October 13, 2020.

To strengthen the effectiveness of development activities, Politburo, the country's supreme decision-making body, issued Resolution 15-NQ-TW on the capital's development until 2030 with a vision to 2045 in early April 2022.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Ha Minh Hai talks to the Vietnam News Agency about measures to facilitate the capital's growth.

Ha Minh Hai, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee

Could you share some general information about the city’s post-pandemic socio-economic growth?

In response to the General Secretary's call, Hanoi has done well in bringing the Covid-19 pandemic under control, thanks to the drastic and prompt instructions of the Party, the Government, the ministries and government agencies, as well as the collaboration of other provincial authorities. At the same time, production and supply chains have been secured to make it easier for the city and local businesses to recover and achieve the expected results.

In the post-pandemic stage, Hanoi and other provinces of the country re-open their economies in the “new normal”. Departments of the city have released several policies and spent thousands of billions of dong to support local people and companies to deal with the tough times.

By the end of September 2022, Hanoi has allocated VND220 billion (US$9.1 million) to help more than 420,000 workers in nearly 14,000 companies in the city, applied tax and fee reductions totaling VND11.1 trillion to more than 61,000 businesses; and rescheduled the payment of land rent and taxes worth VND6.25 trillion for more than 17,800 companies.

Visitors ride bicycles to Bat Trang craft village in Gia Lam District, Hanoi. Photo: Economic and Urban Newspaper

It is also important to recover social and cultural activities. Following the General Secretary's remarks at the National Cultural Conference in late 2021, the Hanoi Communist Party Committee in February 2022 issued a resolution on the development of the capital's cultural industry in 2021-2025 with a vision to 2030 and 2045.

Among the main cultural activities in 2022 is the successful regional sporting event SEA Games 31, which was held in Hanoi in May 2022. The event is well received by other countries in the region and that strengthens Vietnam's status with respect to the world.

In accordance with the guidelines of the Hanoi Communist Party Committee on the development of culture, education and training and health care, and the Hanoi People's Council's resolution on allocating VND49.2 trillion to build and repair nearly 1,500 local and historical schools and cultural sites in 2022-2025, the city decided to allocate VND2 trillion to implement 146 qualified projects in the early months of the year.

How do you evaluate the performance of the Hanoi People’s Committee in the last two years?

Hanoi has achieved several great results from the implementation of the Resolution of the 17th Hanoi Party Congress amid a series of key country and city events scheduled in 2022. Under the risk that the Covid-19 pandemic would continue to have unforeseeable impacts on the country, Hanoi embarked on the execution of the Resolution of the 13th Communist Party Congress on the 10-year national socio-economic development strategy in 2021-2030 and various five-year plans in 2021-2025. In addition, elections for delegates to the National Assembly and local people's councils for the period 2021-2026 were successfully held in 2022.

Under the strict supervision of the city's Party Committee, drastic measures have been taken to boost local production and business activities. In January-September, regional gross domestic product (GDP) grows at the highest rate in recent years of 9.69%, attributed to a growth rate of 15.71% recorded in the third quarter; more than VND244 billion is collected for the budget, up 12.7% from the previous year and equal to 78.3% of the full-year plan; tourism activities recover strongly as the city receives a total of 1.7 million visitors in nine months; core inflation is restrained with the consumer price index (CPI) reaching 3.49% after nine months.

Vaccination for students in Dong Da District, Hanoi. Photo: Economic and Urban Newspaper

Urban management and development are improved. Several significant projects have been approved, such as the master plan of underground space development for the central area of the capital city by 2050; the urban development plan in the region of the Red and Duong rivers; the arrangement of bus stations, car parks and rest areas by 2050; and the urban development plan for the capital city by 2050.

The city has recently proposed to the National Assembly to approve the plan to construct Ring Road No.4, which runs through Hanoi and the provinces of Bac Ninh and Hung Yen. Once the plan is passed, the three localities will set up a joint board to finish the project and put it into official operation in 2027, as expected.

How will the city improve its administrative system to facilitate private investment?

The city regards administrative reform as one of the main tasks that will help implement the three strategic breakthroughs in the 17th Hanoi Party Congress Resolution.

Hanoi has shaken up the administrative apparatus, taken drastic solutions to delegate missions to subordinate districts and communes, ensuring the completion of assignments and improving work efficiency. Various tasks have been assigned to subordinate agencies and departments to reduce the workload and better serve the people and businesses.

The Hanoi People's Council has ratified a resolution on the delegation of regulatory powers in the city. Under the resolution, local departments have identified 1,220 regulatory tasks and 1,884 administrative tasks at all levels subject to a task delegation plan.

The city will continue to review the management and administration tasks and conduct periodic revisions to ensure that all duties are assigned to the appropriate units for their complete execution.

What is the future development plan for Hanoi?

The Politburo, in May 2022, issued Resolution 15-NQ-TW on the development of Hanoi by 2045. Under the resolution, Hanoi will develop into a civilized, modern city and become the nation's political and administrative center and heart. The capital city will also become the central hub of economy, culture, education and training, science and technology, and global integration. Hanoi targets to contribute to the sustainable growth of the Red River Delta region, the Northern Key Economic Zone, and Vietnam.

Politburo’s resolution creates the foundations for the capital city to embark on its development strategy for the coming years. To realize the targets of the resolution, the Hanoi Party Committee has issued an action plan to execute the following major missions:

First, the city will continue cooperating with government ministries and agencies to amend essential laws such as the Capital Law, Housing Law and Land Law to meet practical conditions, facilitate the growth of businesses, and help the development of Hanoi and the country.

Secondly, Hanoi will tighten its coordination with ministries and central agencies to speed up the implementation of the urban capital planning in 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050, which will amend the capital city’s development master plan.

Thirdly, local authorities will focus on constructing infrastructures to build a digital economy and society. All governmental agencies are required to adopt technological solutions to improve working efficiency, focusing on transparent information disclosure, development and management of the city database, and thorough deployment of the e-office system at all levels.

Thank you for your time!