Hanoi proposes major urban restructuring, relocation of inner-city residents
VOV.VN - Hanoi has proposed a large-scale urban restructuring plan that would see more than 860,000 residents relocated from the city’s inner areas between 2026 and 2045, as the capital city seeks to ease infrastructure bottlenecks, reduce environmental pressure and improve living standards.
The proposal is outlined in a report on key orientations for Hanoi’s master plan with a 100-year vision, which the municipal administration has submitted to the city’s People’s Council for consideration at its upcoming 31st session.
City authorities say existing planning frameworks for the 2021–2030 period, with a vision to 2050, and the capital’s master plan to 2045, with a vision to 2065, no longer fully meet development requirements under current conditions and need comprehensive adjustment.
Nguyen Trong Ky Anh, director of Hanoi’s Department of Planning and Architecture, notes the proposed 100-year master plan represents not merely a technical exercise but a fundamental shift in planning mindset, from short-term to long-term thinking, from static to dynamic planning, and from spatial management to development governance.
Under the new approach, Hanoi would adopt a multi-polar, multi-centre urban development model, featuring nine growth poles, nine functional centres and nine development corridors, aimed at redistributing population and economic activity while reducing pressure on the historic urban core.
Priority areas for urban restructuring would lie inside Ring Road 3, particularly within Ring Roads 1 and 2, alongside efforts to preserve and revitalise heritage zones such as Ba Dinh’s political-administrative centre, Hoan Kiem Lake and surrounding areas, the Old Quarter, West Lake, and sections along the Red River.
Residents subject to clearance or relocation would be resettled either on-site or in new urban areas in emerging growth zones such as Dong Anh, Gia Lam and Hoa Lac, with authorities pledging synchronised investment in housing, transport, healthcare, education and other social infrastructure.
Hanoi estimates total funding needs for the restructuring and planning adjustments at about VND64.8 quadrillion (US$2.6 trillion) over 2026–2045.
Dao Ngoc Nghiem, vice chairman of the Vietnam Association of Urban Planning and Development, says the introduction of nine major centres reflects a broader and more ambitious planning orientation linked to long-term development rather than leadership terms or short-term targets.
In his view, proposals such as turning the Red River corridor into the capital’s spatial backbone and strengthening the role of peripheral growth poles such as Noi Bai and Hoa Lac underscore efforts to reshape Hanoi’s development map toward a more balanced and coordinated multi-centre urban structure.
During 2026–2035, the city plans to relocate around 442,000 people, including roughly 200,000 from the Red River corridor and another 200,000 from West Lake and adjacent areas. A further 419,000 residents would be moved in 2036–2045, bringing the total to more than 860,000.
City officials say the initiative is intended to support Hanoi’s long-term goal of becoming a green, smart and sustainable capital.
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