Hanoi, August 18, 2026 — The Europe Today: The National Assembly Standing Committee reviewed revised provisions of a draft law on urban development, focusing on staffing, housing management, special economic zones and the planned international financial centre.
Presenting the revised draft, Minister of Justice Hoàng Thanh Tùng said the legislation would add “ensuring actual workload requirements” to the criteria used by city-level People’s Councils when determining staffing levels.
The revised bill would also allow individuals and organisations to decide whether to use outsourced professional services to support the completion of administrative procedures.
Under the proposed legislation, authority to approve the renovation and reconstruction of apartment buildings would be transferred from city-level People’s Committees to People’s Councils. The move is intended to strengthen oversight of decisions affecting residents’ property and housing rights.
The draft would also remove provisions allowing cities to waive architectural design competitions for projects legally required to hold such competitions. A similar provision relating to special economic zones has also been dropped.
Regarding the proposed international financial centre, the draft requires the city’s executive authority to consult the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Vietnam before exercising certain powers. It would also permit members of the centre to provide financial and other support services within the scope of their establishment and operating licences, including services for domestic organisations seeking to conduct transactions and attract international capital.
Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs Phan Chí Hiếu said the committee supported the Government’s overall approach and many of the proposed amendments. However, he said its standing body had called for further examination of eight areas, including the Government’s authority to introduce pilot mechanisms and policies, staffing arrangements, free-trade and logistics zones, the international financial centre, energy infrastructure, strategic investment projects, urban planning and public security in special economic zones.
The committee also recommended that the draft law not be expanded to cover free-trade zones, integrated logistics zones and non-tariff zones in other provinces, arguing that these areas fall outside the legislation’s intended scope.
National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn noted that the bill was initially designed for HCM City before being expanded to other cities. He called on lawmakers and Government agencies to clearly distinguish provisions concerning the international financial centre from those stipulated under Resolution No. 222/2025/QH15, which remains in force.
He said the resolution governs the centre’s organisation, operations and special policies, while the proposed urban development law would regulate related spatial planning, infrastructure and urban development conditions.
Chairman Mẫn stressed that the legislative framework should preserve the stability of Resolution No. 222/2025/QH15 and avoid creating overlapping mechanisms for the financial centre, while allowing cities with strong development potential to generate new growth drivers.
He also asked relevant agencies to prepare a report on urban areas developed on reclaimed land for submission to the competent authorities.
National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Hồng said the draft law and Resolution No. 222/2025/QH15 had complementary areas of regulation. She supported the establishment of a single international financial centre operating in HCM City and Đà Nẵng under a unified management and regulatory framework, while calling for consistent licensing standards at both locations.
National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyễn Khắc Định commended the agencies involved for their detailed work and urged them to ensure that the legislation was broadly applicable and sustainable.
He stressed that the law should not create disadvantages for one group while benefiting another, nor should it address immediate needs in a manner that creates difficulties in the future.
The National Assembly Standing Committee also reviewed a draft resolution to replace Resolution No. 96/2019/QH14 concerning crime prevention, legal violations, the operations of the People’s Procuracy and courts, and the enforcement of judgments.
