BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Nguyen Quang joined the United Nations Human Settlements Development Programme (UN-HABITAT) in mid 2005 and was appointed as the UN-HABITAT Programme Manager in Viet Nam in July 2007. Since then, He has been UN-HABITAT liaison officer in the UN Country Team and coordinated related urban and shelter projects in the country. Since 1 September 2021, Dr. Nguyen Quang retired from UN-Habitat but continue working as a senior advisor for the UN-Habitat programme development and other organizations in the country.
Working with UN-Habitat he has been able to utilize his knowledge and experience to create a great influence on urban policy making and planning process in Viet Nam, contributing to the improvement of awareness of not only government officials at both national and local levels but also the UN Country Team on emerging urban issues and the interaction between urbanization, socioeconomic development, environmental sustainability, cultural creativity, digital technology, equity and urban governance in order to mobilize multi-sectoral engagement in sustainable urban planning and development. His innovative and participatory approach of integrating inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability issues in urban planning process has been proved by successful implementation of UN-Habitat programs and projects, which have contributed to significant improvement of local awareness and capacity on sustainable urban development in Viet Nam, especially in Hanoi City, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang city, Can Tho city and Quang Nam province.
TOPIC
Urban-rural Governance under the Two-level Government in Vietnam: Challenges, Opportunities and Solutions to Improve Institutional Systems
ABSTRACT
This report aims to analyze and clarify the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for improving the legal and institutional framework in urban and rural development governance under the two-tier government system in Vietnam, in the context of drafting the Law on Urban Development Management (UDML) in 2025 and ongoing programs for institutional renovation in local governance.
The report indicates that:
- The legal system for urban and rural development management remains fragmented and lacks integration;
- The two-tier decentralization mechanism (provincial – sub-provincial level) is newly established and has yet to prove its effectiveness;
- Pioneering localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Binh Duong, Quang Ninh, and Thua Thien Hue have conducted noteworthy governance model trials;
- However, there remains a lack of inter-sectoral coordination, a shortage of urban finance tools, limited management capacity, and inadequacies in digitized data.
The report proposes a group of breakthrough solutions:
- Perfecting the legal framework of the UDML 2025 towards urban-rural integration;
- Innovating the two-tier decentralization and delegation mechanism to be clear and linked with accountability;
- Building an integrated urban-rural regional planning system, linked with socio-economic and environmental aspects;
- Strengthening financial tools, mobilizing PPP (Public-Private Partnership), and urban bonds;
- Enhancing governance capacity and digital transformation;
- Issuing a central government framework policy on multi-level governance and sustainable urban-rural development.