Bac Giang City: New Image, New Potential and New Heights

Bac Giang city is gradually realizing its goal of becoming a green, clean, beautiful and smart urban area; a modern "dual gateway" connecting the Hanoi Capital Region and the Northern Midland and Mountain Area. In this context, the merger of Yen Dung district into the city not only aligns with development conditions and trends, but also contributes to creating new space and growth drivers, fitting its role as the political, cultural and economic center of the province.

The merger of Yen Dung district with Bac Giang city will create additional momentum and opportunities for the city's breakthrough development

New image, new vitality

As the core urban area of the province, Bac Giang city is located 50 km north of Hanoi, within the Hanoi Capital Region, on the economic corridor of Nanning-Lang Son-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh, and near large industrial zones in the province. With a convenient transportation system, the city has leveraged its potential and strengths in recent years. The local authorities, government and people have made significant efforts and achieved important results in all fields: economy, politics, culture, society, defense and security.

So far, the city has achieved and surpassed 17 out of 18 targets set in the Resolution of the 22nd Party Congress of the city's Party Committee (2020-2025). In the first 9 months of 2024, the total retail sales and consumer services revenue were estimated at VND44,045 billion, up 16.7% compared to the same period. The industrial and construction production value was estimated at VND49,609 billion, a 19.2% increase year-on-year. The total state budget revenue was estimated at VND1,790.8 billion. The average income per capita in 2023 was VND65.6 million, 1.1 times higher than the national average.

Cultural and social fields have been given attention, and there have been positive changes. In education and training, the city maintains its leading position in the province with a 100% solidification rate for public schools (the highest in the province), and all public schools meet national standards. Cultural institutions have been prioritized, and the poverty rate is the lowest in the province.

Notably, on September 28, 2024, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Resolution 1191 on the arrangement of administrative units at the district and commune levels in Bac Giang province for the 2023-2025 period. Accordingly, Yen Dung district will be merged with Bac Giang city, and new wards will be established, increasing the city’s natural area by four times and its population by 1.8 times compared to the present (with an area of 258.3 km² and a population of approximately 371,000 people).

Mr. Dang Dinh Hoan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Giang city, said that this merger will create new space and development momentum for the city in the future. Specifically, it will facilitate the distribution of space for industrial, urban, tourism, service and high-quality agricultural development, forming service centers that support production in industrial zones, which are well-integrated with the infrastructure system, and forming satellite urban areas at the southern gateway of Bac Giang city. This will help exploit advantages, attract investment and boost socio-economic development.

In the immediate future, from now until January 1, 2025 (when the new Bac Giang city officially operates), the entire political system will continue to stabilize the machinery while focusing on developing essential functional areas and dynamic zones such as the city center, new urban areas, service infrastructure linked with the central urban area, and developing synchronized industrial-service-urban zones.

Building a green, smart and livable city

The Resolution of the 22nd Party Congress of Bac Giang city (2020-2025) set the goal of striving to build a rapidly developing and sustainable city, with a focus on being a green and smart urban area.

In recent years, the city has implemented many solutions to attract investment for urban development. Many large projects have been built, completed and put into operation, contributing to improving the quality of life and highlighting the urban landscape, such as: the Hanoi-Bac Giang Expressway, the headquarters of the City Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, Bach Viet Lake Garden New Urban Area, the provincial sports hall, high-rise apartments and hotels.

The city is also investing in the construction and renovation of greenery along six out of 10 major streets and around 40 parks and public areas as planned. Notably, green spaces are being enhanced in the central areas, new urban areas, and along waterway green corridors in the southern urban area and inner-city wards.

The city is focusing on building a civilized urban area in parallel with the development of e-government, aiming to improve the quality of life for residents. The local government has invested in and activated an Intelligent Urban Operations Center (IOC) and implemented the Smart city ICT Architecture 1.0 for Bac Giang city. The city's electronic portal has been upgraded, along with the 16 wards and communes. Additionally, QR code systems have been introduced for meeting materials.

Furthermore, the merger of Yen Dung district into Bac Giang city will significantly increase the city's size and population, expand the urban space, and create vital opportunities for the rapid, comprehensive, and sustainable development of a green and smart city, with a focus on making it a livable city for the people.

Following the merger, the city aims to achieve the classification of Type I Urban Area before 2030. The city will prioritize investments in the construction of technical infrastructure, aligned with social infrastructure, ensuring smooth connectivity between the existing urban area and the newly expanded sections in a modern, synchronized manner.

In the future, Bac Giang will prioritize attracting high-tech, environmentally friendly projects that contribute significantly to socio-economic development and can participate in global value chains. Additionally, projects in the fields of electronics, telecommunications, mechanical engineering, construction materials, new materials and supporting industries will be encouraged. The city will also focus on attracting investments for financial centers, banks, hotels, supermarkets and commercial centers as per the urban planning.

To support businesses and investors, the city will accelerate administrative reforms and improve the investment and business environment. This includes reviewing and recommending ways to shorten the processing time for documents for organizations, citizens, businesses and household enterprises. Furthermore, the city will strengthen discipline and professionalism among officials and staff.

Each year, the People's Committee of the city issues a detailed plan to direct the support of businesses, maintain citizen engagement, improve planning and create favorable conditions for businesses and organizations in accessing land, creating a legal environment for sustainable investment attraction.

Notably, the city will focus on expediting compensation, site clearance and creating clean land for investors. As of this year, the city has successfully cleared land for nine projects, with seven projects having already been allocated land and two projects in the process of land allocation procedures.

"For the difficulties in business operations, the city will focus on providing swift and decisive solutions. This will help create new spaces and growth momentum for the city, helping it fulfill its role as the political, cultural, and economic center of the province," emphasized Mr. Dang Dinh Hoan.

By Phuong Hien, Vietnam Business Forum