A 100-year blueprint for the capital envisions a strategic restructuring of the city, tackling long-standing issues while paving the way for sustainable development.
The 100-year master plan opens a new horizon for Hanoi’s future. Photo: Hoang Ha
To realize a master plan with a 100-year vision, Hanoi must build on existing urban plans to trigger breakthroughs without generating conflict, secure resources for large-scale projects, and strengthen its regional connections with neighboring provinces.
The Hanoi People’s Council recently passed a resolution outlining the core elements of the capital’s comprehensive master plan, which carries a transformative vision for the next century.
According to the plan, Hanoi seeks to fundamentally restructure its urban framework - marking a “revolution” in architecture, urban landscapes, housing, heritage, and preservation.
The city also aims to introduce a new planning structure to unlock land potential, generate new growth values, and address long-standing infrastructure bottlenecks. The broader goal is to gradually shape Hanoi into a green, smart, and sustainable metropolis.
Speaking with VietNamNet, architect Tran Huy Anh, a standing member of the Hanoi Association of Architects, said that drafting a century-long master plan is a necessary step under current conditions. It also aligns with directives from General Secretary To Lam.
“As directed, Hanoi must take the lead and play a guiding role, despite constraints and limitations inherited from older planning documents. This demands a new vision and fresh approach,” Anh emphasized.
He added that early insights from the draft plan suggest a clear departure from previous iterations, particularly in setting urgent timelines to implement the vision - moving beyond general long-term orientations.
From another perspective, architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem - former Director of Hanoi’s Department of Planning and Architecture and current Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association - noted that Hanoi has undergone nine planning cycles.
After expanding its administrative boundaries in 2008, the city initiated a new master plan in 2011.
In recent years, Hanoi has worked on two key plans: the Capital Planning for 2021–2030 with a vision to 2050, and the General Plan to 2045 with a vision to 2065. Both were approved by the Politburo and the Prime Minister in December 2024.
“The city is now integrating these two plans into one unified master plan. The Party Committee has requested that the new plan extend its vision to 100 years and include broad, strategic orientations,” Nghiem said.
He pointed out that while the 2024-approved plan identified five growth poles, five spatial axes, and five economic corridors, the new plan expands these to nine growth poles and nine economic corridors.
Several large-scale projects are included in the plan, such as the Red River landscape boulevard and population redistribution efforts. This marks Hanoi’s first attempt at a highly integrated planning framework, spanning all sectors while aligning with the national master plan.
“This is a plan that opens up a new vision for Hanoi. I hope it will offer a unified outlook and reshape how we envision the capital - especially in the lead-up to the 100th anniversary of national independence,” Nghiem expressed.
How to realize a century-long vision?
Architect Tran Huy Anh. Photo: N. Huyen
Yet according to Dao Ngoc Nghiem - who once served as the city’s Chief Architect - Hanoi will face three major challenges in turning this 100-year plan into reality.
First, the city must determine how to inherit past urban plans in a way that drives progress without creating friction or dismantling foundational structures.
Second, resource allocation remains a critical issue - particularly funding for large-scale, long-term development projects.
Third, the success of the plan depends heavily on interprovincial collaboration, especially between Hanoi and neighboring provinces within the capital region.
“For instance, Hanoi is planning a 40-kilometer Red River corridor, while Hung Yen province has proposed extending it to 60 kilometers. Coordinated planning of such spaces requires tight cooperation between localities,” Nghiem noted.
Meanwhile, architect Tran Huy Anh warned that while the 100-year outlook is essential, defining physical space too rigidly could be risky. Urban environments contain many unknowns, from climate change and natural disasters to evolving infrastructure and global socio-economic shifts.
“With so many variables, many countries set broad directional goals rather than locking down spatial specifics too early. If we freeze spatial plans when information and tools are still limited, we may end up limiting our own development options,” Anh cautioned.
He highlighted that a primary aim of the 100-year plan is to address root causes of longstanding infrastructure issues - like traffic congestion, pollution, flooding, and drought - that have plagued the city for over two decades.
To tackle these problems effectively, Anh advised Hanoi to begin with the immediate challenges and build long-term strategies from there - fostering both public consensus and practical momentum.
“For example, Hanoi’s decision to develop a Red River landscape corridor without building railways or roads within the riverbed, while gradually relocating residents from flood drainage zones, reflects a dual approach. It addresses present needs while demonstrating long-term vision,” Anh concluded.
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