Implementation of sustainable urban development policies: Suggestions for Vietnamese urban areas

Urban area is the engine of growth and development, and there is no exception that the future of the world lies in urban areas and Vietnam. Urban growth and development in Vietnam took place late, slowly and in a very low way compared to the world and the Southeast Asia, especially the period from 1990 and earlier. However, since 2000, the quantity and quality of urban areas, urban networks and urban populations have increased more, but urban development in Vietnam has not been uniform, there is a quite large "gap" among socio-economic regions in the country; and still heavy on administration – a challenge for sustainable development. Large cities, especially Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi City, have played and will continue to play an important role in the development of Vietnam’s urban system. In the face of an increasingly rapid urban growth trend, which goes beyond administrative boundaries as well as the responsiveness of local governments, hindering the process of national urban development, the attempt to develop and implement sustainable urban development policies is the key trend and goal of many countries today, including Vietnam. Through secondary data sources and world experience, Vietnam can consult and apply flexibly and creatively the conditions and principles for implementing sustainable urban development policies into the reality of Vietnam’s current urban development context.