5. Conclusion
In Vietnam, institutional addition and modification,
including enforcement of the Law on Urban Planning,
have been implemented to appropriately control
urbanization in rapidly expanding cities. In its
transitional state to market economy while retaining its
socialist character, however, the disparity in urbanization
among Vietnamese cities makes it difficult to reach an
ideal and satisfactory solution solely through institutional
approaches.
In particular, since the depth of public involvement
in urban development varies among local governments,
there is a serious need to determine to what degree the
institutional regulations on building construction should
have flexibility in drawing up zoning and detailed plans.
This unstable state of urban management is characteristic
of a transitional economy. Unforeseeable socioeconomic
changes that guide urban development make it
more difficult to resolve such issues through approaches
inclined to institutional adjustments.
On the other hand, China heading toward a socialist market economy more extensively than Vietnam has
institutional issues similar to those in Vietnam, under
similar urban planning regimes. In China, however,
local governments of major cities tend to take their
own original approaches according to individual
circumstances.
For Vietnam also, one of the best solutions for
local governments is to adopt independent or extralegal
approaches that take account of local conditions.
Compared to Vietnam, however, China has a lot of
specialized public employees and researchers in
universities and institutions in all parts of the country,
who support local independent solutions that are
expected to bring appropriate urban development
and management. It seems difficult for Vietnam to
immediately follow the said approaches considering the
current state of capacity in local governments. Therefore,
it is recommended that for the medium and long term,
Vietnam should provide and support opportunities for
local experts to enhance their skills and abilities, as well
as deepen their experiences and expertise, with the help
of high-level educational institutions and academic and
professional associations, as is being done in China.