Ha Noi accelerates urban planning digitalization with GIS integration
VGP - Ha Noi is fast-tracking the digital transformation of urban planning, aiming to build a unified, transparent, and GIS-based management system to meet the demands of rapid urbanization and a streamlined two-tier local government.
Ha Noi plans to digitize all urban planning data
By 2030, Ha Noi aims to integrate at least 30 percent of its planning data into a Geographic Information System (GIS), with full integration and national database connectivity targeted for 2035. Officials say this will improve survey accuracy, enhance investment returns, and prevent mismanaged development projects.
From paper maps to 3D planning tools
Urban planning in Ha Noi dates back to 1914, with regulations on construction permits, fire safety, and sanitation. The city's detailed cadastral mapping system, developed in the early 20th century, remains a critical tool for land management, covering over 900 sheets across urban and suburban areas.
For example, Cua Nam Ward includes 53 city blocks mapped through 82 cadastral sheets from 1933–1956. These historical resources support heritage preservation and offer insights into early urban layouts.
According to Tran Huy Anh, Standing Member of the Hanoi Architects Association, updating these cadastral maps with current planning boundaries enhances land management, construction oversight, and taxation processes.
Modern technologies now allow for 3D renderings of buildings overlaid on updated cadastral maps, enabling direct comparisons for regulatory reviews. Anh highlights that with AI and graphic software, planning records can be prepared faster, more accurately, and at lower costs.
He cites international models like NYC Planning, which offers robust, public access to planning data, and France's Grand Paris Express project, a US$30 billion investment combining metro expansion with integrated housing and transport development. Anh believes Hanoi could replicate such success through comprehensive GIS adoption.
Laying the digital foundation
Urban planning digitization is a key goal for Ha Noi in 2025.
Under Plan No. 58/KH-UBND, the city is working toward universal 5G and fiber-optic coverage by 2026, alongside expanding IoT networks and cloud-based services for government agencies.
Plan No. 150/KH-UBND, aligned with the Prime Minister's Decision No. 06/QD-TTg, promotes integration of planning data with national systems, including population, ID, and authentication information. Experts say the revised Urban and Rural Planning Law, effective July 1, 2025, will remove legal and structural barriers, supporting this transition.
"Ha Noi's challenge lies not only in building a digital system but ensuring it is unified, transparent, and fully linked to national databases," Anh emphasized.
Smart cities require smart planning
Urban technology expert Associate Professor Dr. Tran Hai Duong stresses that digital transformation must go beyond document digitization. It should create an intelligent ecosystem using AI, IoT, and predictive analytics—technologies already employed in many global cities.
"Ha Noi is on the right path. The key is to accelerate progress and avoid fragmented systems," Duong said. He added that with strong investment in data, infrastructure, legal reform, and human capital, the city is taking vital steps toward becoming a smart, sustainable capital.
However, Duong also warned that maintaining momentum and tackling existing bottlenecks will be essential. Only with a transparent, integrated digital ecosystem can urban planning effectively serve its purpose—shaping a livable, modern, and harmonious city.
Dr. Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Urban Planning and Development, supports this view. He believes the amended law will encourage local governments like Hanoi to actively adopt technology and decentralize planning authority, ultimately improving management efficiency.
Hanoi's push for digitalization in urban planning reflects a broader vision of smart governance and sustainable growth. Through strategic use of GIS, legal reform, and modern technology, the city aims to reshape how it manages development—laying the groundwork for a smarter, more livable capital.
Ha Noi targets 100 percent of GIS planning data by 2030
Chairman Tran Sy Thanh signed Plan No. 150/KH-UBND, dated June 5, to implement Decision No 06/QĐ-TTg, issued by the Prime Minister on January 2, 2025, outlining a project to develop and manage a national database and information system for urban planning.
The plan sets forth targets that by 2026, 100 percent of Ha Noi's planning records database will be collected and built on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform.
By then, all electronic documents related to planning records, including technical and specialized plans, will be digitized and stored in a centralized system. Accordingly, 30 percent of all planning records databases, including technical and specialized ones, will be integrated into the GIS platform.
By 2030, 100 percent of planning records databases, including those under the city's jurisdiction, will be fully collected and built on the GIS platform.
Ha Noi also aims to complete investment in software and applications, ensuring state agencies, organizations, businesses, and citizens have full access to the system.
