JAKARTA - Hanoi's city council approved plans on January 27 for five large-scale urban development zones covering 41,700 hectares, with a combined investment of 4.07 million billion Vietnamese dong (approx. US$156.01 billion) through 2035.

The projects form part of the capital's 100-year master plan and represent the city's largest urban expansion effort in decades. The developments will stretch across Hanoi's periphery, targeting areas along the Ring Road 4 corridor and suburban districts experiencing rapid population growth.

The largest zones will flank Ring Road 4, with 10,000 hectares planned for both the southern and western corridors. Each carries an estimated 1 million billion dong (US$38.33 billion) price tag. The southern zone will feature 55% residential land, with 80% low-rise housing and 20% high-rise apartments, while the western zone plans for 40% high-rise and 60% low-rise units.

A 9,000-hectare zone in the northern districts of Me Linh and Dong Anh will require 800,000 billion dong (US$30.66 billion), matching the investment planned for an 8,000-hectare development in Gia Lam to the east. 

The smallest project, a 4,700-hectare zone in Hoa Lac to the west, carries a 470,000 billion dong (US$18.02 billion) budget. These three zones will follow the 40% high-rise, 60% low-rise housing model.

The developments respond to mounting pressure on Hanoi's infrastructure as the city's population continues expanding beyond its central districts. Hanoi separately plans to relocate more than 860,000 residents from areas inside Ring Road 3 between 2026 and 2045 as part of its urban restructuring efforts.

In the same meeting, the council also approved a revised Housing Development Program that sets a target of 255 million square meters of residential floor space between 2021 and 2030, roughly equivalent to 1.82 million homes. 

The plan seeks to lift average living space to at least 40 square meters per person by 2030, from current levels. It also calls for the construction of at least 144,000 social housing units alongside 180 million square meters of commercial housing, with total investment needs estimated at 2.78 million billion dong (US$106.52 billion) over the period.

Construction timelines and specific start dates for the projects were not immediately announced.