Law on Capital City facilitates higher growth

The four-chapter, 27-article law highlights the position and role of the capital city, and the responsibilities of the National Assembly, Government, ministries, branches and people in protecting and developing the city. 

It also has regulations to protect the capital’s culture, education, science and technology, housing development and traffic and land management. 

According to the law, planning must be approved by the Prime Minister after the National Assembly gave a nod. 

The law prohibits expanding hospitals within the inner city, and new industrial zones and industrial production enterprises, tertiary education and vocational training institutes are not allowed to be built in the inner districts. 

The Prime Minister will decide measures and a roadmap to relocate some industrial enterprises, tertiary education units and hospitals from the inner city to outlying areas. 

The city’s architecture, landscape and construction must follow a master plan to ensure preservation and promotion of cultural and historical values and create a green area for the city as well as both sides of the Red River. 

Given the city’s budget cannot cover important environmental, traffic, hydraulic projects, the State budget will compensate for the shortfall under a proposal by the Prime Minister. 

Talking with the press on the issue, NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu said the promulgation of the Capital City Law indicated the further institutionalisation of the Party’s viewpoints and policies, especially the Politburo’s Resolution No. 11, on building, developing and managing the capital city in the new situation.

The law provides for an effective legal instrument to work along other socio-economic tools to spur the capital city’s higher growth, he added. 

Mechanisms and policies regulated in the law will enable the city to maximise its potential, advantages and pro-activeness, thus creating a driving force behind socio-economic development of the whole capital city area and the country as well, Luu noted. 

The law will come into effect as of July 1, 2013.