The Ministry of Construction has submitted to the Government a draft program for developing urban areas across the country until 2020.

The program aims to enhance the regional and international competitiveness of Vietnam’s urban centres, build technical and social infrastructure, and create a good urban environment for residents, said Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi.

According to the program, urban development will be closely linked to coastal economic zones and border gates to facilitate international integration and urban tourism. Assistance will be given to the development of urban areas in mountainous and border regions while coastal urban centres will receive help in coping with global climate change.

The program sets a target to raise the country’s urbanization rate to 38 percent, with 870 urban centres taking shape by 2015. These centres will include two special ones, 211 ranked from type 1 to 3, and 657 ranked type 4. Among them will be 132 new urban centres. The urbanization rate for 2020 will be 45 percent, with 940 urban centres.

The first steps towards achieving these goals are completing the relevant mechanisms, raising awareness, and training human resources. The Ministry of Construction also proposes mobilizing various sources of financing to make the program feasible.

In addition, it is essential to encourage investment in proper drainage, water treatment, environmental improvement, and lighting, as well as green spaces, trees, parks, new urban areas and residential complexes. Many mechanisms for such investment are available including BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer), BTO (Build-Transfer-Operate), BT (Build-Transfer), and PPP (public-private partnership) models.

Source: VOV