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

Requirements for urban and rural planning in Vietnam from July 1, 2025​ (Image from the internet)

On November 26, 2024, the National Assembly of Vietnam passed the Law on Urban and Rural Planning 2024, which takes effect from July 1, 2025.

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

According to Article 6 of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning 2024, the requirements for urban and rural planning in Vietnam are stipulated as follows:

(1) Be specific, consistent with national planning, regional planning, and provincial planning; align with socio-economic development goals, ensure national defense and security; ensure unity with the development planning of sectors within the planning scope; ensure transparency and harmony of interests between the State, the people, and enterprises.

(2) Forecast economic-technical indicators ensuring scientific basis, meeting practical demands and conforming to development trends of urban, rural, and functional zones; comply with urban and rural planning criteria, and exploit and use natural resources and land reasonably; meet requirements for green, smart, modern, sustainable development, adaptation to climate change, and disaster prevention affecting the community.

(3) Ensure urban development taking into account public transport orientation, effectively exploit land fund to implement construction of public transport hubs combined with new development, renovation, and urban embellishment.

(4) Ensure synchrony in architectural landscape space, technical infrastructure, social infrastructure, and underground space; harmonious development among urban, rural, and functional areas; ensure tight, synchronized connection between new development areas and existing areas; preserve and promote identity; conserve, protect, and exploit traditional cultural values, historical and cultural relics, and characteristic architectural works of each locality.

(5) Meet housing needs, social housing, and social infrastructure systems, ensuring people's accessibility.

(6) Meet technical infrastructure needs; ensure synchronized, unified connection between technical infrastructure systems within the planning area with technical infrastructure outside the planning area.

(7) Ensure inheritance of approved planning; research and propose appropriate solutions for areas with existing statuses, legally stable residential areas.

(8) When making, adjusting planning for urban renovation and embellishment, a comprehensive assessment must be carried out on legal, current land use status, technical infrastructure works, social infrastructure works, and underground space (if any), as well as cultural-social factors, environment, architectural landscape value of the planning area, to offer reasonable solutions for efficient and economical urban land use, ensuring technical and social infrastructure use requirements, and preserving and promoting unique identity, urban architectural space, and landscape.

(9) The timeline for urban and rural general planning is segmented into phases in accordance with the planning timeline as prescribed by the Planning Law.

Prohibited acts in urban and rural planning activities in Vietnam

- Unlawful interference in urban and rural planning activities.

- Intentionally publishing, providing incorrect or not publishing, not providing urban and rural planning information as stipulated by the Law on Urban and Rural Planning 2024; destroying, falsifying, or misrepresenting records, documents.

- Destroying, intentionally altering urban and rural planning markers.

- Receiving, managing, using financial support for urban and rural planning activities contrary to the Law on Urban and Rural Planning 2024.

(Article 14 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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