Better planning was needed to meet the challenges of Viet Nam’s increasingly rapid urbanisation, according to Deputy Minister of Construction Tran Ngoc Chinh.

The deputy minister said the speed of urbanisation in Viet Nam was unprecedented.

"Urban residents make up 28 per cent of the population and a million people choose to move to the cities every year," said Chinh.

"This rapid urbanisation has put pressure on almost all aspects of society."

Unplanned construction was a major problem, said Chinh. In recent years many new urban areas had mushroomed, mainly on the outskirts of cities. The chaotic mixture of architectural styles and poor planning had made cities and towns "aesthetically displeasing".

In addition, the rapid urbanisation of rural districts had changed the landscape in many places that used to be green fields.

"Another problem is the appearance of slums in poor areas," said Chinh.

The deputy minister’s comments follow a recent forum on urbanisation held in the capital.

Government officials and domestic and international experts met at the Viet Nam Urban Forum last month and discussed the great challenges to balancing conservation with development as the nation’s rate of urbanisation was set to reach 45 per cent by 2010.

Forum participants heard that some suburbs in the nation’s cities were struggling to ensure sustainable development. Viet Nam had urbanised very rapidly during the last two decades and the nation’s urbanisation was on par with its economic growth.

Viet Nam’s economy has grown with a rapid pace since the government launched the doi moi (renewal) process in the 1980s. GDP per capita per year in major cities has reached US$1000. After Viet Nam joined the WTO, a new wave of foreign investment has occurred and was set to increase the pace of urbanisation.

The pace of urbanisation was 18.5 per cent in 1989 and has reached 27 per cent in 2006. According to a forecast by the Ministry of Construction, the speed of urbanisation in Viet Nam will reach 45 per cent by 2010. The urbanisation ratios of Ha Noi and HCM City are expected to be 30 per cent and 32 per cent in 2010 and 55 per cent and 65 per cent in 2020 respectively. HCM City, which is experiencing the fastest urbanisation in the country, was set to join the ranks of cities with a population of over 10 million people.

Forum participants heard that the Ministry of Construction would speed up urban planning as well as help strengthen the capability of city management for local authorities to help solve some problems related to urbanisation while new regulations aim to foster better planning in new urban areas.

Participants heard that many new urban areas built during the last five years had met high standards. Among these urban areas were Ha Noi’s Bac Linh Dam, Dinh Cong and Thang Long international village. With modern infrastructure and good social services, these areas had attracted many residents.

Source:  Vietnam News.