♦ Assoc. Prof., PhD. Bui Tat Thang

Former Director General, Institute for Development Strategy

Ministry of Planning and Investment

 

In the context of globalization and the strong advance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, education and training play a decisive role in improving the quality of human resources and enhancing national competitiveness. Hanoi, as the country’s political, economic, cultural, and scientific center - and a major hub for education and training - faces an urgent need for renewal and sustainable development. Rapid urbanization together with a sharp increase in mechanical population growth has created mounting pressure on the city’s educational infrastructure. The current spatial distribution of educational institutions reveals a number of shortcomings and remains misaligned with urban development orientations and society’s learning needs. Therefore, research on the spatial orientation for the development of education and training in Hanoi holds significant theoretical and practical value. Its findings can help propose appropriate planning solutions, improve the efficiency of resource use, and meet the requirements of educational development in the new period.

 

Lecture halls of Vietnam National University, Hanoi at Hoa Lac

 

Hanoi is the country’s leading center for education and training. Alongside a highly developed general education system, the city has a very high concentration of institutions for human resource training (universities, colleges, and vocational schools), thereby making an important contribution to the development of high-quality human resources nationwide. Despite notable achievements, Hanoi’s education and training system still faces two major challenges that need to be addressed. First, general education infrastructure has not kept pace with population growth, resulting in shortages of schools and classrooms. Second, universities are heavily concentrated in the inner city, causing infrastructure overload; while vocational education has expanded in scale, its quality remains limited. The Capital currently hosts more than 100 universities, including institutions in the fields of public security and national defense, with over 700,000 students each year. However, their distribution is uneven: most are concentrated in former inner-city districts such as Cau Giay, Thanh Xuan, and Dong Da, which together account for 57% of all universities in the city. The concentration of more than 700,000 students in a few areas places heavy pressure on urban services; yet from an economic perspective, the presence of this student population also generates substantial revenue for Hanoi - estimated at around VND 2.5 trillion per month, assuming an average living expense of VND 3.5 million per student per month, not including significant expenditures by the universities themselves.

 

Accordingly, the spatial orientation for the development of education and training in Hanoi must address two tasks simultaneously. First, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of general education schools in areas where shortages remain (relative to standards set by the Ministry of Education and Training), including:

 

- Expanding, upgrading, and building more than 80 upper secondary schools, with at least 50 newly constructed schools across the city;

 

- Developing additional high-quality integrated general education schools in areas where conditions and demand permit.

 

Second, in accordance with the Capital Law, within the historical inner city, the land area of existing hospitals will not be expanded; no new or expanded industrial zones, industrial clusters, industrial production facilities, higher education institutions, or vocational education institutions will be permitted; and no new training facilities may be located in the historical inner city. Industrial production facilities, medical establishments, higher education institutions, vocational education institutions, and offices of agencies and organizations in the central urban area that do not conform to the Capital’s Master Plan must be relocated. Although the relocation of higher education and vocational education institutions has been discussed for a long time, implementation has been slow. Under the current master plan, it is expected that 25 inner-city universities will be relocated and/or develop second campuses in the Hoa Lac, Xuan Mai, and Son Tay areas. At the same time, several institutions will be built in these urban zones to serve as national centers for high-quality vocational training and practice, meeting international standards.

 

The Capital Law stipulates: “Investment in and construction of a system of public schools, high-quality educational institutions, and multi-level education institutions shall ensure adequate space and pedagogical landscapes inside and outside school campuses, with teaching staff sufficient to meet learners’ needs; land for school construction shall be allocated in convenient locations; schools shall not be sited near cemeteries or facilities causing noise or air pollution.” Article 18 of the Capital Law also clearly specifies measures to ensure plan implementation, under which the City People’s Committee is responsible for allocating land in accordance with approved plans so that agencies, organizations, and institutions subject to relocation can construct new facilities or headquarters if needed. Land vacated after relocation shall be handed over to the City People’s Committee for management and use in the development of public spaces, increasing the proportion of public green areas, conserving and promoting cultural values, and developing tourism, with no residential or accommodation functions assigned. At the same time, the Capital Law grants Hanoi greater autonomy in financial mechanisms, including tuition support for learners in the city regardless of whether they attend public, semi-public, or private institutions, as well as in other areas, in order to ensure the goal of “developing education and training so that the Capital becomes a major and exemplary national center for high - quality education and training, adaptable to national digital transformation, innovation, and international integration.”

 

In conclusion, orienting the spatial development of education and training in Hanoi is an inevitable requirement to meet the demands of urbanization and the city’s sustainable development. A sound orientation will help address existing imbalances in the distribution of educational institutions and improve public access to education. At the same time, it provides an important basis for the efficient use of land resources and investment capital, and for linking educational development with urban planning. The research findings contribute to supporting educational management, planning, and policymaking in the Capital in the new period, thereby laying the groundwork for building Hanoi into a high-quality education and training center of national and regional significance./.