Principles for urban and rural planning activities in Vietnam from July 1, 2025

Principles for urban and rural planning activities in Vietnam from July 1, 2025​ (Image from the Internet)

Principles for urban and rural planning activities in Vietnam from July 1, 2025

According to the provisions in Article 7 of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning 2024, the principles for urban and rural planning activities in Vietnam include:

- Urban and rural planning must be formulated, appraised, and approved ensuring synchronization and suitability between different types and levels of planning according to the following principles:

+ General plans may be formulated concurrently; in cases where the general plans have different approval authorities, the general plan with the higher approval authority must be approved first; if the general plans have the same approval authority, the general plan which is formulated and appraised first will be approved first;

+ The zoning plan specifies the general plan regarding: development goals; economic-technical indicators; development orientation, spatial organization, and functional zoning; orientation for the development of the technical infrastructure system, social infrastructure works, and underground space (if any). The content, requirements, and principles ensuring specification must be identified and clearly prescribed within the plan;

+ The detailed plan specifies the zoning or general plan in cases where no zoning plan is stipulated, concerning: goals, investment and development requirements; options and requirements for organizing space, architectural landscape; economic-technical indicators; function, land use criteria for planning; solutions to planning the technical infrastructure system, social infrastructure works. The content, requirements, and principles ensuring specification must be identified and clearly prescribed within the plan;

+ Underground space planning and specialized technical infrastructure planning for a central-affiliated city must be synchronized; clarify development goals, orientation for underground space planning, and framework technical infrastructure works; be unified and synchronized with spatial development orientation, architectural landscape at the general planning of the central-affiliated city. The content, requirements, and principles ensuring specification must be identified and clearly prescribed within the plan.

- Agencies, organizations, and individuals carrying out programs, construction investment plans, project management in construction investment in urban and rural areas, space management, architectural landscape, or other activities related to urban and rural planning must comply with the approved urban and rural planning and individual urban design; adhere to the management regulations according to the approved plan.

Note: Urban and rural planning in Vietnam is the determination and organization of space, architectural landscape, the organization of technical infrastructure systems, social infrastructure works, housing to create a suitable living environment for people in cities, district-level towns, commune-level towns, new urban areas, districts, communes, and functional areas. (According to Clause 6, Article 2 of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning 2024)

More details can be found in the Law on Urban and Rural Planning 2024 which takes effect from July 1, 2025.

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