Expanding Urban Space on Both Banks of the Lo River and Modernizing Waterway Transport Infrastructure

On the afternoon of November 10, Comrade Tran Duy Dong — Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee — chaired a conference to hear the Department of Construction and the consulting unit report on the 1/2000 scale Zone Plan for developing the urban area on both banks of the Lo River; the Planning of inland waterway ports, wharves, and channels system; alongside the deployment status of schemes to develop waterway transport across the province.

Attending the conference was Comrade Quach Tat Liem — Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee.

Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Duy Dong chairing the conference.

According to the consulting unit’s report, the 1/2000 scale Zone Planning option for developing the urban area on both banks of the Lo River features a research scope of approximately 10,772 hectares, located within the administrative boundaries of 9 communes and wards (Viet Tri, Thanh Mieu, Van Phu, Hy Cuong, Binh Phu, Phu Ninh, Song Lo, Tien Lu, and Son Dong).

The scheme takes the Lo River as its central development axis, aiming to form a multi-functional mixed urban area to expand Viet Tri’s urban space toward the Northeast; connecting major urban centers while maximizing landscape, cultural, and service tourism potentials in tandem with guaranteeing flood prevention and control safety.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem delivering remarks at the conference.

The urban space is structured along 2 development axes, 5 functional centers (administrative, commercial combined with public transit, cultural, sports, and commercial logistics), and an ecological corridor system.

Notably, the scheme proposes adding 5 new bridges crossing the Lo River, constructing an urban model oriented toward transit-oriented development (TOD) linked to railway stations along the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Haiphong line. The scheme also establishes an interconnected ecological network with 2 suburban parks, 5 comprehensive parks, and 7 community parks. The scheme is expected to be submitted for approval in January 2027.

Delivering concluding remarks on this content, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Duy Dong highly evaluated the proactiveness of the Department of Construction and the consulting unit. Concurrently, he emphasized: Zone planning for both banks of the Lo River must guarantee synchronization with the province’s socio-economic development strategy—turning this area into a new growth pole and creating momentum to expand Viet Tri into a major central urban area.

Director of the Department of Construction Nguyen Xuan Quang reporting at the conference.

The Chairman requested the consulting unit to learn experience from major riverside cities worldwide (such as the Han River in South Korea and Pudong in Shanghai); focusing on developing eastern spatial areas and exploiting underground infrastructure in compact urban areas around river junctions.

Phu Tho agrees on the orientation toward a smart, eco-urban model with low construction density, expanding green spaces and water surfaces. Resolutely control building heights in key areas to prevent high-rise buildings from disrupting the master plan.

Beside this, he requested paying attention to clean industrial development orientations, relocating facilities with pollution risks away from the center; prioritizing riverbank space for dikes, green trees, and public cultural institutions (theaters, community activity spaces) instead of developing dense commercial urban real estate right up to the water’s edge.

He also assigned the Department of Construction to lead and advise on organizing a working delegation to conduct field surveys overseas to study and learn experiences, perfecting the scheme to ensure scientific rigor, modernity, and sustainability.

Overview of the conference.

Reporting contents on waterway transport development, leadership of the Department of Construction stated: Phu Tho currently features 656.8 km of waterways, among which 398.79 km have been officially published for management and the remaining 258 km represent potential headroom to exploit freight and tourism routes. The entire province hosts 45 inland ports under planning (11 currently operating) and 166 inland wharves.

During the first 9 months of 2026, waterway freight transport volume reached over 43.26 million tons (equating to 74.2% of road transport), with transport turnover volume reaching over 5.35 billion ton-kilometers (equating to 113.2% of road transport).

However, local waterway infrastructure faces numerous limitations; several river sections have not reached planned technical grades (particularly the Viet Tri – Yen Bai section during low-water seasons); and road-to-port connecting infrastructure lacks synchronization.

The Department of Construction proposed reviewing and supplementing potential channels and routes—such as Ao Chau Pond, Dai Lai Lake, and the Pho Day River—into planning to optimize logistics capacity.

Directing this content, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Duy Dong requested departments and sectors to urgently review the entire waterway planning, port and wharf systems, and connecting traffic intersections.

All investment orientations must adhere closely to the objective of elevating the province’s competitive capacity, tightly linking inland ports with warehouses, industrial parks, and industrial clusters to form seamless logistics chains reaching out to major seaports.

He requested clarifying the management decentralization for each channel and route, concentrating resources on key infrastructure projects with high spillover effects. Concurrently, study flexible resource mobilization solutions, particularly attracting private investment and socialized capital.

The implementation plan must be systematic, substantive, clear in strategic thinking, and submitted to the Provincial People’s Committee to report results in early December 2026.

Dinh Vu