Hanoi's People's Committee recently convened a meeting to announce the architectural management regulations and urban development program by 2035.

The regulations, effective from January 10, set rules for high-rise buildings in the historic urban core area.

High-rise buildings are defined as structures with nine floors or more. The urban core area includes administrative boundaries within five districts: Ba Dinh, Dong Da, Hoan Kiem, northern part of Hai Ba Trung and southern part of Tay Ho districts.

Hanoi allows multi-story construction works on the sides of belt roads, centripetal roads, main streets, and urban focal points.

The regulations specify spatial management for high-rises, outlining areas where such construction is prohibited.

On Ring Road 1, for instance, no high-rises are allowed within Thu Le and Thong Nhat parks.

High-rise construction is prohibited, ensuring unobstructed height around the airport area on Truong Chinh Road (from the intersection with Khuong Thuong to the intersection with Le Trong Tan streets).

High-rise construction, with a focus on preserving the landscape around West Lake and the western area of Au Co Road (from the intersection with Lac Long Quan to the intersection with Xuan Dieu), is restricted.

No additional high-rises are allowed in the western area of Yen Phu, Tran Nhat Duat – Tran Quang Khai Roads (from the intersection with Hang Dau to the intersection with Lo Su streets).

No high-rises can be constructed on the west side of Tran Quang Khai Road (from the intersection with Le Phung Hieu to the intersection with Trang Tien Street).

As for the two sides of centripetal roads, there must not be high-rises on Giang Vo Street (from the intersection with Nguyen Thai Hoc to the intersection with Cat Linh Street). 

Meanwhile, for the land plots adjacent to the red boundary line at the Cat Linh - Giang Vo intersection, high-rise buildings with no more than 21 floors/76 meters can be set up there. 

They cannot build high-rise buildings on green land and sports facilities as prescribed in the urban subdivision planning H1-2 on Van Cao street (from the intersection with West Lake road to the intersection with Hoang Hoa Tham street), Ton Duc Thang street (from the intersection with Nguyen Thai Hoc street to the intersection with alley 221 Ton Duc Thang), and Le Duan street (from the intersection with Kham Thien street to the intersection with Xa Dan street).

High rises are also prohibited on other sections streets and areas, including Giang Vo, Van Cao, Ton Duc Thang, Hang Dau, Phan Dinh Phung, Hoang HoaT ham, among others.

The only location where high-rise buildings of 45 stories/162 meters can be built is in No 29 Lieu Giai district in Ba Dinh district.

In many other areas, designed to become ‘urban highlights’, 39-story buildings are allowed with the maximum height of 140 meters. These include the eastern peninsula of West Lake (Ba Dinh District) and the intersection of West West Lake urban area and Ring Road 2.

Vu Diep