The urban and rural planning system in Vietnam from July 1, 2025

The urban and rural planning system in Vietnam from July 1, 2025

Urban and rural planning involves the identification and organization of space, landscape architecture, organization of technical infrastructure systems, social infrastructure works, and housing to create suitable living environments for people in cities, district-level towns, commune-level towns, new urban areas, districts, communes, and functional areas.

Article 3 of the Urban and Rural Planning Law 2024 stipulates the Urban and Rural Planning System in Vietnam as follows:

(1) The master planning of urban and rural systems is a national sector plan. The formulation, appraisal, approval, announcement, implementation, evaluation, and adjustment of the master planning of the urban and rural system is conducted according to the provisions of planning law.

(2) Types of urban and rural planning include:

- Urban planning for central-affiliated cities, cities of provinces, cities under central-affiliated cities, district-level towns, commune-level towns, and new urban areas;

- Rural planning for districts and communes;

- Planning for functional areas;

- Underground space planning for central-affiliated cities;

- Specialized technical infrastructure planning for central-affiliated cities.

(3) Levels of urban and rural planning include general planning, zoning planning, and detailed planning.

(4) General planning is prepared for cities, district-level towns, commune-level towns, new urban areas, districts, communes, and functional areas that are economic zones, national tourist zones defined in regional or provincial planning or general planning of central-affiliated cities.

(5) Zoning planning is prepared for the following cases:

- Areas requiring management and development as specified by the Government of Vietnam in special urban areas, grade I and grade II urban areas, and new urban areas with a forecasted population equivalent to grade I and grade II urban areas;

- Functional areas that are not economic zones or national tourist areas, with area scale, management, and development requirements specified by the Government of Vietnam;

- Areas requiring zoning planning to select investors for land-use-based investment projects as stipulated by land law.

(6) Detailed planning is prepared for the following cases:

- Areas with area scale, management, and development requirements specified by the Government of Vietnam under an approved zoning plan or general plan, if not covered by (5);

- Industrial clusters; areas designated for land use right auctions under land law; functional service areas supporting rural economic development identified and formed under the national target program on building new rural areas or other national target programs.

(7) For blocks and routes that meet the following conditions, detailed planning is not required, and separate urban design is carried out unless architectural management regulations must be established under architectural law:

- Located in urban areas where land plot functions have stabilized, focused on conservation, development limitation, and covered by an approved zoning or general plan if not covered by (5);

- Not among the cases stipulated in point b, clause 6, Article 3 of the Urban and Rural Planning Law 2024.

More details can be found in the Urban and Rural Planning Law 2024, effective from July 1, 2025.

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