A workshop organised by Hanoi authorities has thrown up stark changes set to be in place by 2015.

Aiming to speed up urbanisation, Hanoi is looking to continue to attract capital from various sources for development.

The event on October 7^th was aimed at evaluating the city’s draft economic-social development plans for 2011-2015.

According to the draft plan it’s expected that the per capita income in 2015 will reach 72 to 75 million dong ($4000-4166), doubling the current 2010 level.

The city also plans to reduce the agricultural areas to 41 percent of the total area (around 138,000 hectares) and unused land area, lakes and ponds to around 5000ha, accounting for 1.5 percent of the total natural area.

Aiming to speed up urbanisation, Hanoi is looking to continue to attract capital from various sources for development. The city will also encourage accumulation of land for large-scale developments.

However, according to the draft plan, around 200,000-220,000 workers will either lose jobs or lack jobs due to the change of land use goals.

The city will pursue the goal of: “Strongly developing a knowledge-based economy, taking lead in training talents and high-quality human resources and striving to become a prestigious training centre in the Red River Delta and Southeast Asia.

Goals for 2011-2015 include:

- Average GDP growth rate: 9 to 9.5% a year

- Percentage of poor households: less than 1%

- Per capita urban housing area by 2015: 8.5sq.m

- Over 98% of urban area to be supplied with clean water and 100% of rural people to have hygienic water.

- The raising of from VND1.175 to 1.230 trillion of capital for public investment.

Le Nhung