Planning and building Dien Bien Phu City to its full potential

People in the planning area learn about the detailed construction plan at a scale of 1/500 of Him Lam 7 urban residential area, Dien Bien Phu city.

In 2011, Dien Bien province established and approved the General Planning Project for the construction of Dien Bien Phu City to 2030, with a vision to 2050, with a scale of over 6,421 hectares. After 12 years of implementation, the General Planning Project for the construction of Dien Bien Phu City has encountered many shortcomings and has not met the development requirements in the new period. In particular, on November 21, 2019, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 815/NQ-UBTVQH14 on the arrangement of administrative units at the district and commune levels in Dien Bien province, in which Dien Bien Phu City was expanded with an area of 30,818 hectares, nearly 5 times larger and covering the entire Dien Bien Phu - Pa Khoang National Tourist Area.

In response to the development requirements and new factors of area expansion according to the Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee, on April 18, 2023, the Prime Minister approved the General Planning Task of Dien Bien Phu City to 2045 in Decision No. 408/QD-TTg dated April 18, 2023. This is a pivotal planning project, orienting the overall development model of urban space, determining the technical infrastructure framework, social infrastructure of the future type II urban city. It is an important legal basis for conducting zoning plans, detailed plans and framework infrastructure investment projects, aiming at building and developing urban areas in a sustainable manner, adapting and responding to climate change. From there, building the City. Dien Bien Phu is rich in cultural identity on the basis of preserving and promoting the value of the special national historical relic "Dien Bien Phu Battlefield" along with its characteristics of ecology, landscape, environment, and humanistic culture.

According to approval, the planning area covers the entire administrative boundary of the city with a total natural area of 30,657.79 hectares with 12 administrative units, including: 7 wards and 5 communes. The city is a type II urban area, the provincial capital of Dien Bien province; is the political , administrative, economic and cultural center, playing an important role in national defense and security of the midland and mountainous region in the North; a focal point for foreign economic and cultural exchanges, tourism with the provinces of Northern Laos, Southern China, Thailand and Myanmar. Dien Bien Phu City is a national-level cultural and historical revolutionary tourism city; a key center of trade, services, resort tourism and logistics of the region, creating a driving force for socio-economic development for Dien Bien province, the Northwest region and the midland and mountainous region in the North.

Implementing the policies of the Government and the province, Dien Bien Phu City has organized many consultation conferences with subjects from ministries, central branches, experts, scientists at home and abroad, to localities in the region and neighboring areas, and provincial leaders through the periods. Organizing to widely collect opinions from people and communities to listen and absorb comments to perfect the city's master plan. Opinions emphasized that the master plan must solve groups of problems on: Urban economic development, ensuring people's lives, building modern urban areas but imbued with national cultural identity, protecting the environment; promoting industrialization; modernizing agriculture; developing digital transformation, 4.0 technology. At the same time, the city must focus on protecting the core values of the national historical heritage of the Dien Bien Phu battlefield and developing the local economy, combining national defense and security, creating a brand and unique characteristics of the city.

The General Planning of Dien Bien Phu City to 2045 is built on the basis of inheriting and supplementing the General Planning Project of Dien Bien Phu City approved in 2011 to ensure that the city maximizes its advantages in culture, revolutionary history, position and role as a gateway city of the Northwest, the Northern midlands and mountainous regions. Regarding the urban development model and direction, it is necessary to inherit and be reasonable with previous plans and make adjustments to the new development model and direction.

With a comprehensive, scientific approach and synchronous coordination between sectors and fields to infrastructure, resource use, and environmental protection in planning, the General Plan of Dien Bien Phu City to 2045 will open a new vision for Dien Bien Phu City in a new, sustainable development phase on all three pillars of economy, society, and environment.

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