Funded by

The 5th Spatial Planning Platform

Toward Integrated Planning: Recent Institutional
Reforms in Spatial Planning of Vietnam
PHAM Thai Son

son.pham@un.org
February 2023

Contents
 Setting the scenes: administrative system inVietnam
 Spatial Planning in Vietnam before 2019
 SpatialPlanninginVietnam
after
implementation of Planning Law
 Challenges of Integrated Planning UN-Habitat support: ISCB project

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
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Administrative system in Vietnam
Vietnam

Provinciallevel
Districtlevel
Communelevel58 provinces

5 cities

Urban districts

Wards

Rural districts

Communes

Towns

Cities/Towns

Wards

Rural districts

Communes

Note: there is no regional level within the administrative system
Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
Slide 3Towns

Former spatial planning system (before 2019): lack ofintegration
Ministry of Planning &Investment (socio-economic development plan- SEDP)

Nationallevel
Provincial
level
Local level

National SEDP

Provincial SEDP

Local SEDPplans)

Ministry of NaturalResources andEnvironment (Land-useRegional plan

National land-useplansMaster plans

Provincial landuse plans

Zoning plans

Local landuse plans

Ministry ofConstruction (spatial

Detailed Plansplans)Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
Slide 4and manyothersectoralplans at alllevels!

Case study: Ho Chi Minh City
Approved by Central Government: Socio-economic Development Plan - DPI Land Use Plan - DONRE
 Construction (Spatial) Master Plan - DPA
 Transport Master Plan - DOT
Approved by Local Government of HCMC:
 Housing Development Program/ Plan - DOC
 Urban Development Program - DOC
 Urban Breakthrough Programs – Relevant Departments
 Climate Change Action Plan - DONRE
 Smart City Strategy - DIC
 Sectoral Development Programs/ Plans – Sectoral Departments

Many plans, but lack of integration!
Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
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Planning Law issued in 2017
 Planning Law: Law No. 21/2017/QH14, effective since Jan 2019 Ministry in charge: MPI (Ministry of Planning and Investment) Main purposes:• To establish a new system of national plans, regional plans, provincial plans and urban andrural plans, and to sets down a number of planning principles.
• To abolish specific (sectoral) plans for industries and products• To ensure consistency in the legal system governing planning• To lay a legal foundation for unified direction and management of planning• To change/transform the planning methodology, following an integrated and multi-sectoral
approach, addressing cross-sectoral, interregional and interprovincial issues
 Particularly, Planning Law will be applied to all municipalities at provincial level. However, due to“urban” status, for central cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Urban Planning Law 2009 will still
be applied• Two “identical” master plan will be prepared for central cities!
Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
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Existing spatial planning system
Ministry of Planning &Investment (integrated plans, regulatedby Planning Law 2017)

National level

National plans (MPI)

Ministry of Construction(spatial/construction plans, regulated
by Urban Planning Law 2009)

Planning Law

National Urban Rural
System planRegional plan (MPI)

Provincial level
Local level

Provincial plans(DPI)
Note: Land-use plan andsectoral plans integrated into
provincial plans

Master plans(cities)

Zoning plans

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
Detailed Plans
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Provincial plans: technical challenges
 63 cities andprovinces at (almost)the same period
 Coordinated byprovincial DPI (withcrucial participationfrom DOC andDONRE in particular) All-in-one (!) plan atprovincial level

Stakeholders
Time pressure(one year!)
Capacity(technical andinstitutional)
Data(Common)
understanding

IntegratedProvincialPlanning

Consistency
Implementation
oriented (M&Eand Financing)

Participation, coordinationand collaboration

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
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UN-Habitat support: ISCB project UN-Habitat supported MPI and Vietnamese agencies during the preparation and drafting
period of Planning Law (2014-2017) ISCB project - Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban
development in Vietnam – funded by SECO, implemented by UN-Habitat On-going support for the implementation of Planning Law• Preparation of Planning Handbook and Planning Data Guideline• Training for technical staff of 10 provinces regarding Provincial Integrated Planning• Organization of Policy Dialogues regarding critical topics of the Planning Law• Support for the Plan Review of 07 selected province

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
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ISCB project activities

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
Slide 10

What’s next for Spatial Planning in Vietnam?
Integrated Plans
to make Vietnamese municipalities

more resilient UN-Habitat/ ISCB team will be
continously support Vietnamese
government in SP-related tasksooooCapacity building
Planning M&E
Technical Assistance regarding
Urban Law drafting
Pilot (innovative) projects inselected secondary cities

more livable
more sustainable
and inclusive!

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
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Q&A

www.unhabitat.org
Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project)
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