Nation seeks sustainable urban development
(VOV) - Vietnam has gained significant achievements in developing its urban areas in line with increasing economic growth and improving people’s living conditions, says Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung.
He said Vietnam has a high rate of urbanization in Southeast Asia, with the rapid development of urban areas to meet the demand for high quality living and working environments.
According to Dung, as of September 2012, Vietnam had 760 urban areas, with the national urbanization rate estimated at 31 percent and predicted to reach 45 percent in 10 years’ time.
Urban areas, which contribute about 70-75 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), will provide fresh impetus for economic development and shift the economic and labour structures within each locality, as well as across the whole country, he added.
Dung also pointed to shortcomings in the urbanization of Vietnam, including ineffectively dealing with the impact of climate change and environmental pollution.
The Minister affirmed the country’s policy to develop urban areas alongside building new rural areas by introducing mechanisms to encourage overall development and create links between all regions.
Vietnam aims to develop an urban network with modern and environmentally friendly infrastructure linking major, medium and small cities together, he said.
The representative of the UN HABITAT Asia-Pacific regional office, Paula Pennanen, said all stakeholders, including local authorities, policy-makers, managers and the public, should be involved in improving the quality of urban areas.
All cities in Vietnam play important roles in linking urban areas in the region, she said, adding that UN HABITAT has helped Vietnamese cities through international forums and seminars.
Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, said the country should try to learn lessons from international experiences in sustainable urban development.