On 25/10/2022, the Government issued the Resolution No. 138/NQ-CP on the National Master Plan for the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050.

Accordingly, the development orientation of the national urban and rural system includes:

* The overall orientation of the urban system

To accelerate urbanization, form an urban system, create an important driving force for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development. To improve the quality of urban development in terms of economy, society, infrastructure, housing, and people's quality of life. To improve the economic competitiveness and integration of the urban system.

To develop a sustainable urban system according to a network, reasonably distribute, ensure synchronization, unity and balance among regions and areas; develop urban areas with integrated functions in the direction of green, smart cities, adaptable to climate change. To ensure connectivity between urban and rural areas. To choose an urban center with special advantages to build into an economic, financial, commercial, service center... with high regional and international competitiveness. To develop coastal and island urban systems in a sustainable manner, protect natural ecosystems; focus on urban development on the basis of preserving and promoting heritage, cultural and historical factors.

To form and develop a number of cities and smart dynamic urban chains connecting with the region and the world. To build and develop large central urban centers into dynamic, creative, leading urban ones and create spillover effects, link urban areas that are enough in the competitiveness, regional and international integration, play an important role in the urban network of Southeast Asia and Asia. To focus on developing high-quality, high-value-added services in the fields of science - technology, healthcare, training, information technology..., limit investment attraction in processing and manufacturing industries that use a lot of land and laborers. To strongly develop satellite towns of a number of large urban centers, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

To prioritize the development of urban centers associated with economic corridors to become central cities suitable to the functions of each region, promote spillover development.

To develop small and medium-sized cities in close relationship, share functions with large cities, gradually reduce the development gap between cities. To focus on developing small towns and peri-urban areas to support rural development through urban-rural linkages. To develop specific urban models (tourism cities, university towns, creative cities, border-gate economic cities, island towns...).

* The orientation of distribution of large urban areas

+ Hanoi urban area

To build an urban system in Hanoi region including Hanoi capital and satellite towns in surrounding provinces in the Red River Delta and the Northern midlands and mountainous region in order to share the function of education and training, health care, science - technology, trade - service - tourism, limit excessive concentration on the central urban area of ​​Hanoi.

To focus on developing urban infrastructure and synchronous and modern connection infrastructure, including the axes from Hanoi connecting with major cities of the region, the ring roads 4, 5 and the railway lines of urban areas, the ring railway in the east of Hanoi city, promote linkages and spread socio-economic development to the whole northern region. To form industrial - urban - service belts along the ring roads 4 and 5.

To develop Hanoi urban area into a smart, dynamic, creative and leading city; as a leader in science and technology; international transaction center, high quality education - training, healthcare, finance - banking services; important transport hub of the region and the world. To focus on building modern urban infrastructure, especially traffic and drainage infrastructure, soon overcome congestion and flooding. To speed ​​up urban railway projects; build more bridges across the Red and Duong rivers; develop urban underground space.

To build cities directly under the capital, satellite towns with synchronous infrastructure, urban utilities and services, and convenient traffic connections to the center, in order to accelerate urbanization and reduce the load in the inner city and expand the development space of Hanoi.

+ Ho Chi Minh City area

+ Da Nang urban area

+ Can Tho urban area

* The orientation for rural development

+ To comprehensively develop modern, green, clean and beautiful rural areas in association with the process of urbanization, with synchronous infrastructure and social services and close to urban areas; preserve and promote national cultural identity; security and order are guaranteed; economic structure and forms of production organization are rational, create sustainable livelihoods for people; stable rural society; people's intellectuals are enhanced; rural landscape is bright, green, clean, beautiful and safe.

+ To build population distribution models suitable to each natural ecological region, cultural characteristics, ethnic groups, socio-economic conditions. To plan the rearrangement of residential areas for the ones prone to frequent natural disasters and landslides.

For peri-urban rural areas, accelerate urbanization, develop urban agriculture, gradually improve infrastructure, develop social services of a quality close to that of urban areas, and form residential areas to focus on green and ecological rural areas. To develop satellite towns to reduce the load on main urban areas and gradually bring urban development to rural areas.

For rural areas in concentrated agricultural production areas in the Mekong River Delta and Central Highlands, the development orientation of rural residential areas associated with production areas, specialized cultivation areas and processing clusters - services, harmoniously linking with cities to ensure basic service provision.

For the traditional rural areas in the northern mountainous region, some regions in the Red River Delta and other regions, develop concentrated residential areas of appropriate size in connection with urban areas; support the construction of essential infrastructure for rural areas in disadvantaged areas and ethnic minority areas.

To prioritize the comprehensive, rapid and sustainable development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas; exploit the potential, effectively promote the region's comparative advantages, protect the environment and living space of ethnic minorities. To shorten the income gap between ethnic minorities and mountainous areas compared to developed areas.

* To continue to arrange urban and rural administrative units, ensure the size and quality, and meet the standards of administrative units as prescribed.