Development Orientation for Phu Tho Province’s Spatial Planning Post-Consolidation

On the afternoon of November 27, Mr. Tran Duy Dong – Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee (PPC) – chaired a conference to hear the Department of Construction report on the conceptual plan for the spatial development orientation of Phu Tho Province, based on the planning research product sponsored by T&T Group Joint Stock Company.

Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Duy Dong delivers a guiding speech at the conference.

Implementing the directives of the newly consolidated Phu Tho Province, the Department of Construction initiated the development of the spatial development orientation—a crucial step in shaping the province’s long-term spatial and economic growth. Based on working sessions between the Department of Construction and agencies, units, T&T Group, and Dalberg Global Advisors—the sponsoring organization—were tasked with researching and proposing a breakthrough, sustainable, and strategic spatial development vision for Phu Tho Province, on the basis of an area of ​​9,361km2 and a population of about 4 million people of the area.

The planning research report, which outlines breakthrough ideas and spatial development orientations for Phu Tho Province, was presented at the conference by representatives of T&T Group and Dalberg Global Advisors. The report focused on the following contents: Current Status Analysis—including foundational research on global and regional trends, economic efficiency and competitiveness, spatial analysis, and analysis of existing economic and spatial planning; subsequently compiling these into a SWOT assessment, a strategic framework, and a vision for the long-term economic development of Phu Tho Province.

Breakthrough and potential spatial development orientations were built upon the current status analysis—including a summary of the spatial development orientation, relevant international case studies and lessons learned, key steps for deployment, and impact on sub-regions.

Based on an analysis of Phu Tho’s emerging strengths and strategic limitations; an analysis of international case studies; and the identification of impacts on sub-regions, the consultants proposed 5 Pillars, 3 Enablers, and 8 Strategic Growth Hubs to fully unlock Phu Tho’s economic potential.

The 5 Pillars include: New Manufacturing Wave; AI Economy; High-end Tourism Potential and Quality of Life; Strategic Dual-Purpose Production Capacity (National Defense Industry and Security); and Modern, Branded Agriculture. The 3 Enablers include: Urban Modernization and Redevelopment; Infrastructure and Connectivity; and Excellent Quality of Education. The 8 Strategic Growth Hubs include: Developing the Red River Axis into a dynamic, high-quality urban corridor; Developing a modern Administrative - Intellectual Center to lead governance; Developing the Eastern AI and Manufacturing Industrial Corridor to foster the formation of a new-generation innovation center for AI applications in the North; Building a network of Agricultural Product Processing and Rural Industries; Developing a High-Tech, Strategic National Defense Industry Center for Vietnam; Transforming Phu Tho into a Green Energy and Data Center, including developing Hoa Binh into a green energy and computing infrastructure hub in the North; Developing Phu Tho into a Heritage and Ancestral Land Tourism Center; and Forming a High-end Healthcare Belt, positioning Hòa Bình as Vietnam’s leading green resort destination for healthcare, recreation, and sustainable tourism.

During the conference discussion, delegates generally concurred with the research, assessment, and conceptual proposals of the report. They also requested that the unit developing the province’s spatial development orientation supplement the development of the healthcare sector as one of the province’s advantages to ensure a balance between economic and social development; shape the planning by carefully assessing the flat, midland, and mountainous areas according to the three pre-consolidation zones of the province to promote comprehensive development; pay attention to uniformly supplementing the development of culture and heritage tourism; increase the urbanization rate in the long term to foster rapid provincial growth; prioritize researching the proposed idea of transport connection infrastructure for the provincial belt region; and ensure that the process of proposing spatial planning development is synchronized and consistent with the Political Report and the Resolution of the 1st Phu Tho Provincial Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term.

In his guiding speech, Chairman of the PPC Tran Duy Dong highly appreciated the meticulous and systematic investment in the research and assessment, along with the breakthrough ideas proposed in the report for Phu Tho’s spatial development orientation. He suggested and directed the consulting unit to research and develop a connecting space between Viet Tri, Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh, focusing on the development space for urban areas, resorts, and industrial zones along the Hoa Binh - Viet Tri Expressway Corridor. He also emphasized building a total regional linkage corridor by linking the Red River space with surrounding localities; promoting the advantage of developing Phu Tho’s TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) urban model in connection with the Lao Cai - Ha Noi - Hai Phong high-speed railway line and the development plan for the Free Trade Zone, and logistics development plans linked to the connectivity of regional spaces, with reference to specialized mechanisms applied in other localities nationwide.

Regarding the development orientation for the education space linked to human resources, the Chairman of the PPC suggested that the developing unit should evaluate and propose specific ideas suitable for Phu Tho Province. For the construction of the Provincial Public Administration Center space, he suggested researching a larger, more open space, linked to the natural landscape and the convention center. He also proposed developing specific planning for the cultural industries sector, orienting the organization of major cultural events, film studios, and ancestral land reality shows; and researching the inclusion in the planning report of spatial development for urban rail transport connecting with the capital city of Ha Noi and internal urban areas within the province; solar energy development space; resorts linked to natural reality, high-end medical examination, and treatment services; and proposing spatial development for key agricultural products, national defense industry, and specialized science and technology research centers in the Hoa Binh area.

The Chairman of the PPC assigned the sponsoring unit to coordinate with the Department of Construction and the provincial planning unit to synthesize, incorporate the proposed comments and suggestions, and finalize the product for the province to accept, contributing to the promotion of local economic, cultural, and social development.

Dinh Vu