Dong Thap Accelerates Urban and Rural Planning Progress

(DTT) Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People’s Committee, chaired a working session with the Department of Construction on the morning of October 1.

The meeting focused on task implementation, urban and rural planning progress across the province, and the action plan through the end of 2026. The meeting was also attended by representatives of leaders from relevant departments, agencies, and units.

According to the report by the representative of the Department of Construction, the province is currently rolling out 82 urban and rural plans, including 21 urban general planning projects and 61 commune general planning projects. All 78 planning authorities have completed their respective implementation plans. Of the total, 51 plans are scheduled for completion in 2026, 21 in the first quarter of 2027, and 10 after the first quarter of 2027.

Regarding planning work, the Department of Construction stated that it has prepared cost estimates for 80 of the 82 urban and rural general plans. Planning tasks have been formulated for 17 plans, including 11 commune general planning projects and six urban general planning projects. The five urban general plans being prepared by the department for My Tho, Cao Lanh, Sa Dec, Cai Lay, and Go Cong are currently progressing through statutory procedures. The department expects to submit six planning tasks to the Appraisal Council before October 10, 2026.

Regarding the implementation of its 2026 tasks, the department has executed six of the 10 assigned tasks, achieving 60%, while the remaining four are underway and expected to be completed on schedule. During the first nine months of the year, the department advised the provincial People’s Committee on the issuance of, or submitted to the provincial People’s Council for approval, 20 documents and submitted four draft legal normative documents.

Several key sector targets are expected to be met, including a rate of 99.85% for the urban population receiving clean water through centralized water supply systems and a projected 11.99% growth rate in the construction sector. The 2026 social housing target stands at 2,000 units, with 570 units completed so far (the Ministry of Construction is submitting a proposal to the Government to amend the resolution, reducing the target from 2,000 to 688 units).

In administrative reform, the Department of Construction received 15,346 administrative procedure dossiers during the first nine months of the year and processed 15,151, with 195 still being handled. All processed dossiers were completed on or before the prescribed deadlines. The construction sector currently has 181 administrative procedures, 156 of which are provided as full-process online public services.

For the final three months of 2026, the Department of Construction identified that it will continue coordinating with relevant departments, agencies, and local authorities to accelerate urban and rural planning; collaborate to resolve issues concerning planning cost estimates and supplementary topographical surveys; and speed up the preparation of the Dong Thap Urban Development Programme through 2030.

Concurrently, it will continue advising on the implementation of key transport infrastructure projects, social housing development, the management and maintenance of transport infrastructure, improvements to online public services, and the completion of specialized databases.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nhan requested that with regard to planning, progress must be closely monitored, with clear reports on the status of each task, including which components have secured consultants, which have not, and what difficulties need to be resolved. Departments must leverage their professional expertise, proactively conduct appraisals, coordinate, and urge progress to prevent delays, thereby unlocking development space and driving momentum for development.

Relevant departments must strengthen coordination to ensure that planning, land management, and land use are implemented consistently, harmoniously, in compliance with regulations, and within approved targets, avoiding fragmented, inconsistent approaches.

In addition, they must accelerate investment implementation, focusing on the core assigned tasks. At the same time, they must proactively study their duties and closely monitor progress; any emerging difficulties or obstacles must be promptly reported to provincial leaders for consideration and resolution.

By QUANG MINH
Translated by X.QUANG