Creating green and sustainable cities.

Developing green, energy-efficient, and emission-reducing urban areas is a global trend. This vision is being strongly realized in Can Tho City, with a strategic orientation to become a driving force for this – a “Green, Smart, and Distinctive Mekong Gateway”.

A view of the riverside city of Can Tho .

Characterized by its multi-functional nature, Can Tho City possesses significant influence, serving as a crucial transportation hub connecting the region, inter-regionally, and with countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion. It is linked to the Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho economic corridor and the Hau River axis. Over the past period, city authorities at all levels have gradually developed the city sustainably through programs and plans tailored to practical conditions. The Can Tho City Urban Development Program to 2030, with a vision to 2045, issued by the Can Tho City Party Committee in April 2026, identifies the following: urban development in Can Tho City should be based on long-term strategic thinking and vision, proactively creating breakthroughs in development, affirming Can Tho as a driving force, a nucleus for regional development, and a coordinating hub for regional linkages; a river-coastal city with a unique identity of the lower Mekong River region, playing a leading role in the restructuring of the region's development space.

The city's development orientation was further strengthened recently when Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc signed Decision No. 909/QD-TTg approving the general planning task for Can Tho City until 2050, with a vision to 2075.

With a well-structured development plan and a solid legal framework, Can Tho is on its journey towards becoming a green and sustainable city. This not only addresses the challenges facing the locality but also affirms the city's role as an important center for cooperation, connectivity, and sustainable development in the Mekong Delta region and the Mekong River basin, both now and in the future.

Green urban development has been affirmed in many major policies. In particular:

- Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW of 2022 by the Politburo on planning, construction, management and sustainable development of urban areas until 2030, with a vision to 2045;
- Resolution No. 26/2022/UBTVQH15 amending and supplementing a number of regulations on urban classification;
- Resolution No. 111/2025/UBTVQH15 of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on urban classification.
- To adapt to climate change and promote sustainable development, the Government issued Decree 35/2026/ND-CP dated January 22, 2026, detailing some provisions of the Resolution on urban classification ( Resolution No. 111/2025/UBTVQH15 ); which specifically stipulates the requirements for green growth urban development.

Text and photos: T. TRINH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/tao-dung-do-thi-xanh-ben-vung-a205310.html