Hanoi aims to cut average annual PM2.5 concentrations by around 20% by 2030 compared to 2024 levels, lowering them to below 40 µg/m³, as air pollution remains a serious challenge for the capital and other major urban areas.

The Hanoi Party Committee on December 13 approved in principle two major investment projects seen as new strategic growth drivers for the capital, namely an Olympic sports urban area in the city’s southern area and the Red River Landscape Boulevard.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting of permanent Government members in Hanoi on November 15 to review planning for the Red River Landscape Boulevard and an Olympic sports urban area, two flagship projects aimed at transforming the capital’s urban landscape.

The Hanoi People's Committee has approved initial plans to build an Olympic-standard complex in the capital capable of hosting major international sporting events.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung has called for enhanced cooperation with Chinese partners to develop a clearer legal framework, particularly focusing on strategies and standards for the development of Vietnam’s smart urban areas.

A workshop on smart urban areas was jointly organised in Hanoi on May 6 by the National Innovation Centre (NIC), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) of Germany, and TU Dortmund University.

Vietnam is developing a roadmap for establishing an international financial centre (IFC), with the aim of building connections with major IFCs both regionally and globally.

VOV.VN - Ho Chi Minh City plans to build its international financial centre in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, covering a total area of 9.2ha, according to the Municipal Department of Science and Technology.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications and the Francophone University Agency (AUF) organised an international conference on November 4 discussing ways to branch out high-quality labour force for the southern economic hub’s development of smart urban areas.

VOV.VN - At the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Leaders Meeting held in Indonesia, four entities including BRG Group (Vietnam), Sumitomo Corporation (Japan), North Hanoi Smart City Development Investment Joint Stock Company (NHSC), and Thang Long Industrial Park (TLIP) handed over a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on decarbonization through energy management between North Hanoi Smart City (NHSC) and Thang Long Industrial Park (TLIP), aiming to make North Hanoi Smart City the first carbon-neutral urban area in Vietnam and the world.