Hanoi eyes relocation of over 860,000 inner-city residents for urban restructuring

The proposal targets key areas including the Red River corridor, West Lake, the Old Quarter, and several zones within Ring Road No. 3.

The plan is outlined in a comprehensive master planning report with a 100-year vision.

According to the report, the city aims to establish nine growth poles, nine major urban centers, and nine spatial axes and economic-urban corridors aligned with major transport routes.

For urban restructuring, Hanoi will step up a major population redistribution effort to reduce pressure on the inner-city area.

Residents affected by land clearance and relocation will be partly resettled on site, while others will move to newly developed urban areas in growth poles such as Dong Anh, Gia Lam, and Hoa Lac.

These new urban areas are planned as modern, well-integrated communities with full amenities, including schools, hospitals, parks, and public services, with the aim of offering a higher quality of life than residents’ current neighborhoods.

Under the proposal, the Red River landscape corridor will see the relocation of around 200,000 people.

About 30 percent will be resettled on site, while 70 percent will move to new urban areas in Dong Anh and Long Bien.

West Lake and surrounding areas will also involve the relocation of nearly 200,000 residents, with a similar 30-70 split between on-site resettlement and relocation to Dong Anh and Long Bien.

The pilot redevelopment of selected blocks within Ring Road No. 3 is expected to affect about 42,000 people, half of whom will be resettled on site, with the remainder moving to new urban areas in the southern part of the city.

Besides, around 26,730 residents in the Old Quarter will be relocated, while the old French Quarter will see about 23,000 people moved.

Other areas within Ring Road No. 3 will account for the relocation of roughly 370,000 residents during the restructuring process, with 70 percent resettled on site and 30 percent relocated to new southern urban areas.

Sweeping urban transformation

Hanoi’s urban restructuring program is scheduled for the 2026-35 period and is described as a far-reaching transformation encompassing architecture, urban landscapes, housing, and heritage preservation.

The restructuring is expected to create a new planning structure, unlock land resources, generate new value, and address chronic infrastructure bottlenecks, moving toward building a greener, smarter, and more sustainable capital city.

The proposed restructuring will focus primarily on areas inside Ring Road No. 3, with priority given to zones within Ring Roads No. 1 and 2.

Key areas identified for the urban restructuring include the Ba Dinh political-administrative center, which covers approximately 134.5 hectares.

Another priority area is Hoan Kiem Lake and its surrounding zones, encompassing the Old Quarter and the French Quarter, which together form the historic and cultural heart of the city.

West Lake and its surrounding cultural landscape have also been earmarked for restructuring. This area totals around 462 hectares, excluding the lake’s water surface of about 530 hectares.

In addition, both banks of the Red River have been identified as a major focus, with an emphasis on developing landscape axes as well as service, financial, and cultural centers across roughly 11,000 hectares.

The city plans a comprehensive overhaul of areas that currently fail to meet standards for architecture, urban landscape, infrastructure, and construction quality.