Hai Phong speeds up planning, aiming to become the 3rd largest super city in the country

After merging and expanding its boundaries, Hai Phong City has become a large-scale urban area, with nearly 3,200 km2 and a population of more than 4.6 million people. Its economic scale is up to nearly 660,000 billion VND, ranking 3rd in the country after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. With new space and development potential, Hai Phong City has all the strength and position to optimize its potential and strengths, and has the opportunity to become the 3rd largest metropolis in the country, rising to become a growth pole with regional and international influence.

One of the potentials and outstanding strengths of Hai Phong urban development in the 2025-2030 term is to take advantage of the coastal urban area, surrounded by large rivers. Land reclamation to expand the area and development space is being implemented and promoted by the city in the coming time with the development of the seaport system in Lach Huyen, Nam Do Son port, the southern coastal economic zone... developing coastal ecological industrial parks associated with international maritime service centers.

Hai Phong speeds up planning, aiming to become the third largest metropolis in the country. Photo: Hong Phong

In general, before the merger, Hai Phong and Hai Duong had approved city and provincial planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, and urban planning projects, construction planning, rural planning, and planning of a specialized technical nature.

Accordingly, Hai Phong City (old) develops according to the multi-center urban model, including 2 economic belts, 3 landscape corridors, 3 key urban areas and new urban areas. Hai Duong Province (old) develops according to the radial urban model, including belt axes and radial axes with the core being the existing central urban area limited by Thai Binh River and Sat River developing to the south, east and north.

Based on the urban development orientations in the approved plans along with the specified tasks, each step of implementation will be the foundation for building the new Hai Phong City Master Plan in the spirit of inheriting and promoting the strengths of the plans, unifying the development space of the whole city according to the multi-center urban model, closely connecting the central area, the suburbs and satellite cities.

The political report of the Hai Phong City Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term also identified one of the viewpoints for the development of Hai Phong City in the new term as maximizing the potential and advantages of the seaport city and regional economic center; expanding development space, rationally organizing urban - industrial - service - agricultural space; linking industrialization and modernization with the development of modern coastal cities.

The urgent priority task in the coming time is to urgently organize the establishment and adjustment of the Hai Phong City Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 and the Hai Phong City Master Plan to 2040, with a vision to 2050. At the same time, organize the establishment and adjustment of urban planning, construction planning, and rural planning according to the adjustment of the master plan. Prioritize planning for the development of modern technical infrastructure systems, underground spaces, open spaces along rivers and coasts; develop satellite urban networks, and reduce the load on core urban areas.

To promote planning work and at the same time solve the challenges posed after the merger, Mr. Le Quy Tiep, Director of Hai Phong Department of Construction, said that there needs to be strong direction, synchronous and timely implementation of many key solutions. This is not only a technical requirement in planning work, but also an urgent task to create a solid foundation for economic development, investment attraction and urban construction in the coming period.

An urban corner in the East of Hai Phong. Photo: Phan Tuan

While implementing new planning projects in line with the socio-economic model of the merged city, plans approved before July 1, 2025 will continue to be implemented, ensuring that construction investment projects are not interrupted. This solution helps maintain a continuous development pace, without allowing legal or administrative gaps to affect the implementation of key projects.

Along with that, it is necessary to synchronize planning and data through digital transformation. It is necessary to build a centralized, modern planning data system, digitize all maps, land information, population, and infrastructure from both old localities to form a shared database. At the same time, promote the application of GIS technology, 3D models, and artificial intelligence in planning preparation, appraisal, and approval. In addition, Hai Phong City needs to strengthen coordination, decentralization, and resource mobilization, improve planning management capacity and efficiency, and combine planning with project implementation in parallel.

Under the direction of Mr. Le Ngoc Chau, Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee, in the last months of 2025, the Department of Construction needs to quickly carry out the task of advising and organizing the establishment of a general plan for the new Hai Phong city to replace the separate general plans of the two previous localities.

In the period of 2025 - 2026, the City will have to review the current status, integrate data from existing plans, determine the vision and spatial orientation to develop a master plan to submit to the Prime Minister for approval. In the period of 2026 - 2027, it will conduct planning, survey, develop plans, collect opinions from relevant parties and complete them for submission to the Prime Minister for approval, ensuring that "planning goes first, projects follow". All key national projects, strategic traffic routes such as highways, coastal roads, seaports, airports and main roads connecting major urban areas will be integrated synchronously in the planning project.

The city continues to focus on investing in infrastructure to build a modern, smart, and unique urban model; promote sustainable urbanization, balance between urban and rural areas, and between developed regions, striving for Hai Phong to basically meet the important criteria of a special urban area by 2030. Take advantage of the railway infrastructure invested by the Central Government to plan a multimodal transport system, connecting freight transport and urban transport; research and plan the urban railway network to reserve land funds, ready for investment in the future.

Planning for sea encroachment to create new development space. Research and propose the city to include in the list of key projects prioritizing investment in 2 East-West connecting routes. Of which, the high-speed route connecting East-West Hai Phong city is expected to start construction in 2026 and be completed in 2029. Propose an investment plan and connect Gia Binh airport with Lach Huyen port to develop the economic-urban space in the northern area of the city.

The construction of a new master plan, including urban planning from both the West and East of Hai Phong, will effectively contribute to the process of building Hai Phong by 2030, becoming a modern, civilized, ecological and livable industrial seaport city of the Southeast Asian region.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/hai-phong-tang-toc-quy-hoach-huong-den-muc-tieu-sieu-do-thi-lon-thu-3-ca-nuoc-d400796.html