4. Lessons from Urban Planning Practices in China
4.1 Practical Issues in Vietnam
In improving the urban planning system in Vietnam, it
should be noted that there exists regional differences in
urban development projects. This means that while more
developments in HCMC have been initiated by private
enterprises or foreign investors, some of those in other
cities still have been done mainly through government or
state-owned companies.
This is especially the case in Hanoi City, being the
capital of Vietnam. The city has reportedly cornered
more than 90% of land management and development
projects of the public sector (Kim, 2007; Anh, 2007)3 .
Also in the outskirts of Hanoi, municipal governments,
such as Hai Duong City, are implementing urban
development projects through their own efforts as
developers (Ochi, 2010).
This also goes to show that the problem in
inflexibility pointed out earlier is not necessarily
negative, as long as urban development is carried out
mainly by the public sector. The reason for this is
that although the regulations given in detailed plan
do not function as planning tools for those initiated
by the private sector, they do serve public-sector-led
development as specifications for realizing public and
socially important projects.
Nevertheless, it is presumed that the present rigidity
in the urban planning regime has to be corrected to
embrace variability and accommodate new development
requirements as the market economy becomes the norm.
In looking for solutions to bring about flexibility in
a fast changing society, this study examines approaches
taken in China, which is undergoing the same transitional
socio-economic conditions and changes as Vietnam.