Establishing a "community charter" for the new urban area:

Urbanization has transformed the lives of Hanoi residents. Along with the emergence of many new urban areas come concerns about the potential for community disconnection; differences in hometowns, occupations, etc., can easily create a gap between new residents and the local population.

In this context, village customs – familiar in rural areas – are being "reimagined" to become a unifying force for the community.

The residents of residential areas 31 and 39 in the Southwest Linh Dam urban area (Hoang Liet ward) organized a gift-giving event for children, creating a warm community atmosphere. Photo: Huong Thao

From the "little covenant" in the building…

Lưu Ngọc Uy, Secretary of the Party Cell of Residential Area No. 3 (Dang Xa Urban Area, Thuan An Commune, Hanoi ), still vividly remembers the early days of moving here after retirement. Originally from Hung Yen, he worked in many places before choosing Dang Xa Urban Area as his retirement home. “When it was first established, the urban area was very sparsely populated. People came from all over, so initially everyone felt like a stranger,” Mr. Lưu Ngọc Uy recounted.

Since 2015, Party branches, neighborhood groups, and other organizations have gradually been established in the Dang Xa urban area, and a set of community agreements has also been created. These agreements don't involve grand pronouncements; they start with everyday matters: no making noise during breaks; no prolonged wedding or funeral ceremonies; maintaining general cleanliness; and behaving politely when offering suggestions to each other. Each year, the entire content is presented at the people's representative conference on building a cultural life at the grassroots level for discussion and voting. Afterwards, the content is reported to the local government for approval. "Living in an apartment building while staying indoors easily leads to isolation. For a strong community, there must be community rules and shared activities," said Mr. Luu Ngoc Uy.

Not only in the Dang Xa urban area, but also in the Tay Nam Linh Dam urban area (Hoang Liet ward, Hanoi), Hoang Sy Luan, Secretary of the Party Cell of residential group 31 and 39, is working with residents to build a civilized lifestyle through practical and familiar regulations. The residential area currently has 670 households with nearly 2,910 residents, living in 3 apartment buildings and low-rise villas.

Over the years, the Party Branch, the Front Committee, and other organizations have persistently developed and supplemented neighborhood regulations to suit urban life while preserving traditional cultural identity. These regulations have become a new form of "village charter," adapting to urban living; thus creating seemingly small changes that yield noticeable results. Residents are more conscious of their shared living habits, conflicts have decreased, and the community atmosphere has become warmer.

Apartment residents join in the village festival.

From large-scale urban areas like Tay Nam Linh Dam to modern apartment buildings, community conventions are gradually becoming a connecting thread among residents, contributing to the formation of a civilized urban lifestyle through self-awareness and consensus rather than imposed regulations.

According to Mr. Pham Xuan Lam, a member of the Management Board of building DV04 (Rose Town apartment complex, Yen So ward, Hanoi), community rules such as: maintaining silence after 10 PM, not disposing of garbage in unauthorized areas, not letting pets roam freely, and giving feedback politely… although lacking strong penalties, have become a "guiding principle" for maintaining harmony among hundreds of people living in the building.

While community agreements in new urban areas help residents connect with each other, in Vinh Thanh commune, these agreements also help bridge the gap between "villages" and residents of newly built high-rise buildings. According to Tran Dinh Ngoc, Vice Chairman of the Vinh Thanh Commune People's Committee, the Intracom apartment complex was once a "bottleneck": internal management lacked unity, cultural life was almost neglected, and residents were isolated from the activities of the adjacent Ngoc Chi village. To resolve this isolation, the local government decided to treat the apartment complex as a "hamlet" under Ngoc Chi village. Various community organizations were established within the building, such as the Women's Association, the Senior Citizens' Association, the Youth Union, and sports clubs.

From then on, the changes occurred gradually but noticeably. During the annual village festival, Intracom residents even prepared offerings to the communal house and participated in the festivities like the local people. The invisible boundaries between high-rise buildings and villages gradually blurred. More importantly, this connection also translated into effective social management. Previously, mobilizing apartment residents to participate in elections or administrative reviews always faced many difficulties. However, in the election of representatives to the 16th National Assembly and representatives to the People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term, the voter turnout rate reached 98.1%.

In the process of urbanization, the conventions in new urban areas are how communities connect and live together. Along with the Code of Conduct in public places in Hanoi, over the years, the city has continuously reviewed and guided localities in developing village regulations and conventions in accordance with the Law on the Implementation of Democracy at the Grassroots Level and Government Decree No. 61/2023/ND-CP; thereby gradually forming new living standards so that urban areas not only develop and change in appearance and infrastructure but also remain strong through the connection between people, aiming towards a civilized, modern, and happy city.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/xay-dung-huong-uoc-cho-khu-do-thi-moi-soi-day-gan-ket-cong-dong-976223.html