Finalizing Urban, Rural, and Tourism Development Space Planning Options

On the afternoon of December 8th, Mr. Tran Duy Dong – Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee (PPC), chaired a conference to hear reports from the Department of Construction and the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on the planning options related to their respective sectors integrated into the Provincial Master Plan of Phu Tho for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

According to the report by the Department of Construction: After merging, the calculated urbanization rate for the entire province in 2025 was revised down from 33% to 17.7% (a decrease of 15.3%); the number of recognized urban areas dropped from 58 to 15 (a decrease of 43 urban areas). Based on the Draft Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee on urban classification and the Resolution of the 1st Phu Tho Provincial Party Congress, term 2025 - 2030, for the period 2026 – 2030, the Department of Construction proposed the following urban and rural development orientation: By 2030, Phu Tho will have: 1 Central Metropolitan Area (Van Lang Metropolitan Area): Comprising the urban chain from the former Viet Tri city to the former Vinh Yen city and the former Binh Xuyen district; 5 Regional Economic Hub Cities: Phu Tho, Phuc Yen, Thanh Thuy, Hoa Binh, Luong Son; 22 Satellite Cities: (Including Tam Dao, Hop Chau, Binh Tuyen, Vinh Tuong, Tam Duong, Lap Thach, Tam Son, Lien Chau (Vinh Phuc area); Doan Hung, Ha Hoa, Thanh Ba, Cam Khe, Yen Lap, Thanh Son, Tam Nong (Phu Tho area); Tan Lac, Mai Chau, Kim Boi, Lac Son, Yen Thuy, Lac Thuy, An Nghia (Hoa Binh area); 8 Newly Upgraded Urban Areas: Nguyet Duc, Thai Hoa (Vinh Phuc area), Hien Luong, Thu Cuc, Tan Son, Huong Can (Phu Tho area), Da Bac, Muong Thang (Hoa Binh area).

Regarding the golf course planning: After the merger, Phu Tho province has 50 golf courses, covering a total area of about 9,638 hectares. Of these: 7 courses are already operational (1 course in Phu Tho area, 2 courses in Hoa Binh area, and 4 courses in Vinh Phuc area); 43 golf courses/clusters are under construction investment, selecting investors, or implementing investment attraction procedures.

Concluding the conference, Chairman of the PPC Tran Duy Dong requested relevant departments and sectors to review the current status of urban and rural areas in the province. They must closely follow the Central Government’s Regional Master Plan and the specific classification criteria for urban areas regarding natural area and population size, to ensure the planning options meet the criteria and allow for expansion towards inter-ward/inter-commune urban models consistent with the Law on Organization of Local Government. The goal is to ensure that by the 2050 vision, Phu Tho becomes a centrally-governed city with an urbanization rate reaching 50-60%.

Concurring with the golf course planning, the Chairman of the PPC emphasized that this is a smokeless industry and a sports industry of significant importance for promoting the province’s socio-economic development. However, he stressed the need for careful review and assessment of the planning; specific surveys of each golf course, removing from the plan those that negatively affect agricultural land or residential land; and research into adding golf courses linked to new transport and economic corridors that facilitate inter-regional connectivity. Golf course planning must be associated with tourism development, regional linkage, and urban/resort development to ensure harmony with the landscape.

Along with finalizing the planning work, departments, sectors, and localities need to focus on attracting strategic investors to develop urban areas and tourism, creating a breakthrough for development.

Dinh Vu