Action urged to speed up construction of National University on Hanoi's outskirts

Voters are asking authorities to clear hurdles to accelerate the construction of the Vietnam National University campus in Hoa Lac, Hanoi's Thach That district, Kinh te & Do thi reported.

Despite being an important component of the general planning of Hoa Lac satellite urban area, the construction progress of the campus has lagged far behind the schedule.

A bird's eye view of the planning area of Hanoi National University in Hoa Lac

In order to be able to resettle 60,000 students and lecturers from Hanoi's downtown and relieve traffic congestion in the inner city, government agencies should work harder to arrange funding and compensation for site clearance, said the voters at a recent meeting.

The Vietnam National University campus in Hoa Lac, planned to cover about 1,113.7 hectares, includes Polytechnic School, a research center and offices of the management board. So far, around one thousand hectares have been cleared.

Nguyen Thi Hue, head of the Land Management Department of the university's Development Center in Hoa Lac, said that the project has been carried out for more than 17 years. The lack of funding and outdated land clearance policy is blamed for the slow progress of the project. So far, the disbursement rate for construction has been only 8% and 76% for land compensation. The unequal payment of compensation has led to indignation and unwillingness to cooperate from local people.

Experts also asked for an overall review and adjustments to all the projects in the locality, saying it would help accelerate the construction of the Vietnam National University campus.

In 2009, the Vietnamese government approved the plan to relocate universities and colleges out of Hanoi’s downtown by 2025 to avoid concentration of students in the city's inner areas.

Accordingly, from 2010 to 2021, around 23 educational institutions, including 12 universities and colleges and 11 other higher educational institutions will have to be relocated.

However, after 10 years of implementation, only Public Health University has been moved out of Hanoi's downtown.

University relocation is no less urgent than removing polluted industrial facilities in Hanoi away from residential areas, said urban experts.

Slow university relocation away from Hanoi's inner city is worsening traffic congestion and environmental pollution, and adds pressure on the city's infrastructure, they said.