Law No. 39/2024/QH15 dated June 28, 2024 on the Capital

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF VIETNAM --------	SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM Independence - Freedom – Happiness ---------------
Law No. 39/2024/QH15	Hanoi, June 28, 2024

 

LAW

ON THE CAPITAL

Pursuant to Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;

The National Assembly hereby promulgates the Law on the Capital.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope

This Law provides for locations and roles of the Capital, policies and responsibilities for building, developing, managing and protecting the Capital.

Article 2. Locations and roles of the Capital

1. The Capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is Hanoi.

2. The Capital is the political and administrative center of the nation, where the central agencies of the Communist party, the State, and the socio-political organizations, diplomatic missions, and international organizations are located; is a central-affiliated city (municipality), a special urban area, a major center for economics, culture, education, training, science and technology and international integration of the whole country.

3. The headquarters of the Communist Party, the National Assembly, the President, and the Government are located in Ba Dinh area in Hanoi city.

Article 3. Interpretation of terms

For the purposes of this Law, the terms below are construed as follows:

1. “Central urban area” is the urban area responsible for the main functions of the Capital, including the historic inner-city area and other adjacent areas identified in the Capital Master Plan.

2. “Historic inner-city area” is a conservation area of Thang Long - Hanoi cultural heritage and traditional values ​​of Hanoi people that are identified in the Capital Master Planning.

3. “The capital region” is the area of socio-economic development association, including Hanoi city and some adjacent municipalities and provinces, decided by the Government.

4. “start-up assistance organizations” are organizations promoting, supporting startups, startup service areas, technical facilities supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, business incubators, common working areas for startups, centers for promoting and supporting technology transfer, innovation support centers and shared equipment providers.

5. “High-quality educational institutions” are preschool education institutions and general education institutions that meet national standards according to education laws and meet the criteria for high-quality education in terms of facilities, managers, teachers, curriculum, teaching methods and educational services according to regulations of the People’s Committee of Hanoi city.

6. “low emission zone - LEZ” is an area determined to limit vehicles that cause environmental pollution to improve air quality.

Article 4. Application of the Law on the Capital

1. In case there are different regulations between the Capital Law and other laws or resolutions of the National Assembly on the same issue, the Capital Law shall apply, except for the case specified in Clause 2 of this Article.

2. In cases where laws or resolutions of the National Assembly promulgated after the effective date of the Capital Law contain provisions that are different from the provisions of the Capital Law on the same issue that need to be applied, there must be specific regulations on the application of regulations and laws in such laws or resolutions as soon as possible; In cases where there are no specific regulations on the application of regulations and laws and the application of such regulations is necessary for the construction, development, management and protection of the Capital, the Standing Committee of National Assembly shall decide the application at the request of the Government and report to the National Assembly at the nearest meeting.

3. Legislative documents elaborating the Capital Law and legislative documents promulgated to implement the assigned authority in the Capital Law are applicable in cases where there are many legislative documents containing different regulations on the same issue.

Article 5. Responsibilities for building, development, management and protection of the Capital

1. Building, developing, managing and protecting the Capital is the regular, direct and continuous missions of the authorities at all levels and people of Hanoi city; is the responsibility of agencies, organizations, armed forces and the people in the whole country.

2. The Vietnamese Fatherland Front and its affiliated organizations shall disseminate and encourage the people in the country and the Vietnamese overseas to participate in building, developing, managing and protecting the Capital.

3. The state shall prioritize the investment and attraction of the resources in order to fulfil the potentials and exploit the strength of the Capital, for the purpose of building, developing, managing and protecting the Capital.

Article 6. The symbol of the Capital

The symbol of the Capital is the picture of the Khue Van Cac in Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam.

Article 7. The title “Honorary citizen of the capital”

1. The title “Honorary citizen of the capital” shall be given to foreigners that make valuable contribution to the building, development, Management and protection of the capital, or the establishment, expansion and fortification of the amicable relations and international cooperation of the capital.

2. The People’s Council of Hanoi city shall specify conditions and procedures for awarding and revoking the title “Honorary citizen of the capital” specified in clause 1 of this Article.

Chapter II

URBAN GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION

Article 8. Urban government organization

1. Local governments of Hanoi city (hereinafter referred to as “the City”), rural districts, urban districts, district-level towns, district-level cities, communes and commune-level towns are the People's Councils and the People's Committees.

The organizational structure, duties, and powers of the People's Councils and People's Committees of the City, rural districts, urban districts, district-level towns, district-level cities, communes and commune-level towns shall comply with the provisions of this Law, the provisions of the Law on Local Government Organization and other relevant laws.

2. Local governments of wards in the City are the Ward-level People's Committees.

The ward-level People's Committee is a state administrative agency, organized and performing duties and powers according to the provisions of this Law.

Article 9. The People's Council of the City

1. 125 councilors of the People's Council may be elected for the City. The minimum number of full-time councilors equals 25% of total councilors.

2. The Standing Committee of the People's Council of the City operating full-time includes a Chairperson of the People's Council, no more than 03 Vice Chairpersons of the People's Council and members. The number of members of the Standing Committee of the People's Council of the City is decided by the People's Council of the City and does not exceed 11 people.

3. The People's Council of the City is established with no more than 06 Boards to advise on specific fields. A Board of the People's Council of the City consists of a Head elected by the People's Council; Deputy Heads and members approved by the Standing Committee of the People's Council of the City. The Standing Committee of the People's Council of the City shall decide the number of Deputy Heads provided that no more than 02 persons are elected to a Board. The Board has a full-time division for assistance in handling regular tasks during the interval between two meetings.

4. The People's Council of the City is entitled to perform duties and exercise powers as follows:

a) Decide on the number of full-time councilors of the People's Council of the City; decide on the number, names and scope of fields in charge of the Boards of the People's Council of the City; stipulate criteria for establishing and organizing Boards of the People's Councils of urban districts, district-level towns and district-level cities;

b) Promulgate working regulations of the People's Council of the City, the Standing Committee of the People's Council, the Boards of the People's Council, the councilor team of the People's Council and councilors of the People's Council of the City;

c) Decide on the establishment, reorganization and dissolution of other specialized agencies and administrative organizations under the People's Committee of the City that have not been regulated or are different from regulations in documents issued by superior regulatory agencies; decide on the renaming and adjustment of functions of existing specialized agencies and administrative organizations.

The establishment, reorganization and dissolution of other specialized agencies and administrative organizations affiliated to the People's Committee of the City must ensure compliance with requirements for goals and tasks of state management by sector and field; not overlap with functions, duties and powers of other specialized agencies or administrative organizations; ensure goals of implementing state administrative reform and streamlining the organizational structure in a reasonable, smooth, effective and efficient manner. Additional agencies may be established provided that the total number of specialized agencies affiliated to the People's Committee of the City does not exceed 15% of the number prescribed by the Government;

d) Issue regulations on the establishment, reorganization and dissolution of other specialized agencies and administrative organizations affiliated to the People's Committees of rural districts, urban districts, district-level towns and district-level cities that have not been regulated or are different from regulations in documents of superior regulatory agencies on the basis of adjusting functions of existing specialized agencies and administrative organizations in a manner that ensures such functions do not overlap with functions, duties and powers of other specialized agencies and administrative organizations and ensures goals of implementing state administrative reform and streamlining the organizational structure in a reasonable, smooth, effective and efficient manner. Additional agencies may be established provided that the total number of specialized agencies affiliated to the People's Committees of rural districts, urban districts, district-level towns and district-level cities does not exceed 10% of the number prescribed by the Government;

dd) Determine the number of officials and public employees receiving salaries from the state budget managed by the City based on the list of job positions, population size, current workload, security, politics and social safety characteristics in the area, and the City's budget balance capacity, ensuring that the ratio between the total number of staffs and the total population does not exceed the national average ratio, submitted to competent authorities for decision;

e) Other duties and powers specified herein.

5. During the interval between two meetings of the People's Council of the City, the Standing Committee of the People's Council of the City is allowed to decide the following contents and send reports to the People's Council of the City at the nearest meeting:

a) Approaches to tackle unforeseen and urgent duties in preventing, addressing and recovering from natural disasters, epidemics, national defense, security, social order and safety issues in the region.

b) Revise investment guidelines as required for group B and group C projects using public investment funds specified in the Public Investment Law;

c) The specific assistance outlined in Point d, Clause 1, Article 35 of this Law relies on the annual budget estimate ratified by the City People's Council.

Article 10. The People’s Committee of the City

The People's Committee of the City is entitled to perform duties and exercise powers as follows:

1. Draft and submit the documents about the content specified in Points c, d, dd and e, Clause 4, Article 9 of this Law to the City People's Council for decision; submit the contents specified in Clause 5, Article 9 of this Law to the Standing Committee of the People's Council for decision;

2. Issue regulations on adjusting employment positions, civil servant rank structure, and civil servant structure according to professional titles in accordance with the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of agencies, organizations, and units within the scope of management;

3. Based on the principles, conditions and criteria for establishing public service providers according to the provisions of law, decide establishment of new public service providers under the management of the City People's Committee according to the order and procedures prescribed by the City People's Council;

4. Other duties and powers specified herein.

Article 11. The People's Councils of urban districts, district-level towns and district-level cities

1. The People's Council of an urban district, district-level town or district-level city includes 02 Deputy Chairpersons; the total full-time councilor does not exceed 09 persons decided by the People's Council.

2. The People's Council of an urban district, district-level town or district-level city is established with no more than 03 Boards to advise on specific fields. The establishment of these Boards shall comply with regulations of the City People's Council of the urban district, district-level town or district-level city. These Boards may have full-time members as decided by the People's Council of the urban district, district-level town or district-level city.

3. The People's Council of the urban district, district-level town or district-level city is entitled to perform duties and exercise powers as follows:

a) Decide on the number of full-time councilors of the People's Council of the urban district, district-level town or district-level city; decide on the number, names and scope of fields in charge of Boards, establishment and number of members of Boards of the People's Council;

b) Promulgate working regulations of the People's Council of the urban district, district-level town or district-level city, the Standing Committee of the People's Council, the Boards of the People's Council, the councilor team of the People's Council and councilors of the People's Council of the same level;

c) Decide, allocate and adjust income and expenditure budget estimates; Approve the final statements of incomes and expenditures of the urban district, district-level town or district-level city, including the budgets of affiliated wards according to the provisions of the State Budget Law. Assign an unallocated amount from 2% to 4% of the total ward budget expenditure to the expenditure estimate of the People's Committee of an affiliated ward to be spent on preventing, combating, and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, epidemics, incidents, disasters, providing relief and performing important national defense and security tasks and other necessary tasks that are unanticipated;

d) Decide investment guidelines for programs, group B and group C projects using public investment funds at the affiliated wards according to the provisions of the Public Investment Law;

dd) Supervise compliance with the Constitution, laws and implementation of resolutions of the People's Council of the same level in a ward; Supervise activities of the People's Committee and Chairperson of the People's Committee of the ward.

Article 12. The People's Committees, Chairpersons of the People's Committees of urban districts, district-level towns and district-level cities

1. The People's Committee of an urban district, district-level town or district-level city is entitled to perform duties and exercise powers as follows:

a) Develop and submit the contents specified in Points c and d, Clause 3, Article 11 of this Law to the People's Council at the same level for decision;

b) Based on the resolution of the People's Council at the same level, decide assignment of and adjustment to budgetary tasks for affiliated wards; decide guidelines and measures for use of budget;

c) Organize the performance of national defense and security tasks, measures to ensure social order and safety, and fight against crime and violations of law in the affiliated wards.

2. The Chairperson of the People's Committee of the urban district, district-level town, or district-level city has the authority to appoint, reappoint, dismiss, transfer, rotate, second, reward, discipline, and temporarily suspend the Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of the ward-level People's Committees; delegate powers of the Chairpersons of the ward-level People's Committees according to the provisions of law.

Article 13. The ward-level People’s Committees and Chairpersons of the ward-level People’s Committees

1. The ward-level People’s Committees have the following duties and powers:

a) Carry out duties and exercise powers of budget estimate units under the People's Committees of urban districts, district-level towns or district-level cities according to the provisions of the State Budget Law.

The Chairperson of the People's Committee of a ward shall decide expenditures from unallocated amounts as prescribed in point c clause 3 Article 11 of this Law, send quarterly reports to the People's Committee of an urban district, district-level town or district-level city that will submit reports to the People's Councils of the same level at the nearest meeting;

b) Submit proposals concerning investment guidelines for public investment programs or projects funded by state budget to the People's Committees of urban districts, district-level towns or district-level cities; contribute their opinions on the project investment guidelines subject to decision by competent agencies or persons to which the opinion contribution by the commune-level People's Councils is required as prescribed by the Law on Public Investment; organize development of the public investment programs and projects according to the hierarchy of management;

c) Propose and cooperate with competent authorities in performing national defense and security tasks, and measures to ensure social order and safety in their areas according to hierarchy of management; direct the Ward-level Police to perform the national defense and security tasks in the ward;

d) Cooperate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committees at the same level in establishing organizations in charge of elections and organizing elections according to the provisions of law on election of members of the National Assembly and councilors of the People’s Councils;

dd) Organize and ensure the implementation of Constitutions, laws, and documents of superior regulatory agencies in the wards; carry out other duties and powers of the ward-level People's Committees and Chairpersons of the Ward-level People's Committees according to the provisions of law;

e) Decide the issues that have to be decided or endorsed by the People's Councils of communes before decision by the People’s Committee of the district under regulations in other legislative documents; Submit documents about the issues that have to be submitted to the People's Councils of communes for endorsement before decision by a superior authority under regulations in other legislative documents.

2. The Ward-level People’s Committees do not have the authority to promulgate legislative documents.

3. The organizational structure and working regulations of the Ward-level People's Committees:

a) The People’s Committee of a ward includes the Chairperson, Vice chairperson(s) and other officials of the ward. The class I and class II wards have no more than 02 Vice Chairpersons of the People's Committee, and class III ward has 01 Vice Chairperson of the People's Committee.

The Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of the Ward-level People's Committees are officials holding leadership and management positions of the Ward-level People's Committees;

b) The ward-level People's Committees shall work under the leadership regulations where the heads of the ward-level People's Committees are responsible for the operation of the Committees, ensuring the principle of democratic centralism.

4. The Chairpersons of the Ward-level People's Committees are the heads of the Ward-level People's Committees, responsible to the People's Councils, the People's Committees, the Chairpersons of the People's Committees of urban districts, district-level towns or district-level cities and to the law for performing duties and exercising powers of the Ward-level People's Committees; directly managing and employing ward-level officials according to regulations; carrying out duties and exercising powers as devolved or authorized; comprehensively managing all activities of the Ward-level People's Committees; Signing and managing documents of the Ward-level People's Committees under the title of Chairpersons or heads of the state administrative agencies in the wards.

5. The Government shall elaborate the organization and operation of the Ward-level People’s Committees.

Article 14. Devolution, authorization by the People’s Committees, chairpersons of the People’s Committees and other specialized agencies and administrative organizations under the People’s Committees

The People’s Committees, Chairpersons of the People’s Committees, other professional agencies and administrative organizations under the People’s Committees may devolve or authorize their duties and powers prescribed by law, unless otherwise provided for by law. The devolution or authorization shall comply with the following regulations:

1. The People’s Committee of the City or its Chairperson:

a) Based on work requirements, implementation capabilities, and specific conditions and situations of the City, the People's Committee of the City is permitted to devolve one or several duties and powers within their jurisdiction to other specialized agencies and administrative organizations under the People's Committee of the City or district-level People's Committees, or the commune-level People’s Committees for continuous and regular performance; devolve one or several duties within their jurisdiction to public service providers for enhancing autonomy of public service providers in management and service provision;

b) In necessary cases, the People's Committee of the City may authorize other specialized agencies or administrative organizations, or public service providers under the People's Committee of the City, or the district-level People's Committees; the Chairperson of the People's Committee of the City may authorize their Vice Chairperson(s), or heads of other specialized agencies, other administrative organizations, or public service providers under the People's Committee of the City, or the Chairpersons of the district-level People's Committees to carry out certain duties and/or powers within their jurisdiction for a specified period of time with specific conditions;

2. The district-level People’s Committees or their Chairpersons shall devolve or authorize as follows:

a) Based on work requirements, implementation capabilities, and specific conditions and situations of districts, the district-level People's Committees are permitted to devolve one or several duties and powers within their jurisdiction to other specialized agencies and administrative organizations under the district-level People's Committees or commune-level People's Committees, or the commune-level People’s Committees for continuous and regular performance; devolve one or several duties within their jurisdiction to public service providers for enhancing autonomy of public service providers in management and service provision;

b) In necessary cases, the district-level People's Committee may grant authorization to other specialized agencies or administrative organizations, or public service providers under the district-level People's Committees, or the commune-level People's Committees; the Chairpersons of the district-level People's Committees may grant authorization to their Vice Chairperson(s), or heads of other specialized agencies, other administrative organizations, or public service providers under the district-level People's Committees, or the Chairpersons of the commune-level People's Committees to carry out certain duties and/or powers within their jurisdiction for a specified period of time with specific conditions;

3. Other specialized agencies and administrative organizations under the People's Committee of the City are permitted to grant authorization to the district-level People's Committees or specialized agencies under the district-level People's Committees to process a number of administrative procedures within their jurisdiction.

Other specialized agencies and administrative organizations under the district-level People's Committees are permitted to grant authorization to the commune-level People's Committees to process a number of administrative procedures within their jurisdiction;

4. The commune-level People's Committees and their Chairpersons are permitted to grant authorization to officials of the Commune-level People's Committees to handle administrative procedures within their jurisdiction;

5. Agencies, organizations and individuals that devolve or authorize as prescribed in this Article are responsible for ensuring financial conditions, human resources and other necessary conditions to carry out duties and powers that they have devolved or authorized; guide and inspect the performance of such duties and powers and take responsibility for results of the performance of such duties and powers.

The devolved agencies and organizations are responsible before the law and before regulatory agencies that have devolved such duties and powers. Based on specific situations in districts, the district-level People's Committees may further devolve the devolved duties and powers from the People’s Committee of the City to other specialized agencies or administrative organizations under the district-level People’s Committees or the commune-level People’s Committees, and the further devolution requires the approval by the People's Committee of the City.

The authorized agencies, organizations and individuals are responsible to the law and to Agencies, organizations and individuals that have granted authorization for the authorized duties and powers. Authorized agencies, organizations and individuals receiving authorization are not permitted to further authorize other agencies, organizations and individuals to perform the authorized duties and powers.

Authorized agencies, organizations, and their heads may use documents and seals of their agencies and organizations to perform authorized duties;

6. The People's Council of the City shall elaborate the scope of duties and powers to be authorized to officials of the commune-level People's Committees, to be devolved and authorized to public service providers and their heads cause specified in this Article;

7. The People's Committee of the City shall promulgate documents on the adjustment of order, procedures, and authority of relevant agencies in the process of handling works, their devolved or authorized duties and powers as prescribed in this Article, ensures the requirements for reform of administrative procedures, does not require additional dossier components, does not require additional requirements, conditions, and extra time for resolving applicable procedures.

Article 15. Recruitment, management and use of officials and public employees

1. Officials working in communes, wards and commune-level towns are officials as prescribed in the Law on Officials on the administrative payroll assigned annually to the district-level authorities, elected, recruited, managed and used according to the provisions of law on officials.

2. Heads of other specialized agencies and administrative organizations under the People's Committee of the City and Chairpersons of the district-level People's Committees may sign fixed-term contracts with people who meet the professional conditions to hold certain common professional positions in other specialized agencies or administrative organizations affiliated to the People's Committee of the City and the district-level People's Committees.

3. Officials and public employees working in regulatory agencies, political organizations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations and public service providers have regular expenditures under management of the City fully covered by the state budget, and have incomes increased according to work capacity and efficiency.

4. The People's Council of the City shall elaborate clause 2 and clause 3 of this Article.

Article 16. Attracting and appreciating talented people and developing high-quality human resources

1. Attracting and appreciating talented people are done as follows:

a) Vietnamese citizens with outstanding moral qualities, qualifications, abilities, practical experience, working in the country or abroad, acquiring works, products, achievements, merits or special contributions to develop a field or industry of the Capital may be considered for admission or accepted as officials and public employees;

b) Vietnamese citizens who meet the standards specified in Point a of this Clause may sign contracts to perform professional work or hold management and executive positions at public service providers under the management of the City;

c) Foreigners with high professional qualifications, a lot of practical experience, and whose works or products have been accepted, recognized, and applied with high efficiency may sign contracts to build, develop, manage and protect the Capital;

d) People who are considered for admission, accepted or signed a working contract as prescribed in Points a, b and c of this Clause are entitled to the regimes and policies prescribed by the People's Council of the City.

2. The People's Council of the city shall decide the following policies on developing high-quality human resources of the Capital:

a) Prioritize the development of high-quality personnel that reaches regional and international levels in industries and fields, and meets the requirements and tasks of building, developing, managing and protecting the Capital in each period of time;

b) Use the City budget to support investment in facilities and equipment of national key training institutions in the City;

c) Use the City budget to support funding for training, fostering, and improving professional skills at foreign training institutions for officials and public employees working in agencies, organizations or units under the management of the City, pupils or students of educational and training institutions in the City;

d) Support the formation of national and regional high-quality centers for vocational training and practice in the City; support tuition for students in high-quality vocational training institutions of the City.

Chapter III

CONSTRUCTION, DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF THE CAPITAL

Article 17. Planning for construction and development of the capital

1. The construction and development of the Capital must comply with the Capital Planning and the Capital Master Plan.

The Capital Planning and the Capital Master Plan must ensure the construction of a civilized, modern, and sustainable capital with a clean living environment and water security, with the Red River as the green axis and central landscape, and harmonious urban development on both sides of the river of the City; ensure the national defense and security and the connection of the technical infrastructures and social infrastructures of the Capital with local areas involved in regional association and development with the Capital and the whole country.

2. Concentrate resources and prioritize the implementation of the Red River and Duong River zoning planning in accordance with the Capital Planning and the Capital Master Plan.

Allow the construction of new dike routes in accordance with planning for flooding prevention and control of the river section with dikes, dike planning and other related planning to effectively exploit land banks.

On the river islets, some existing residential areas are allowed to continue existing and new constructions and houses are allowed to be built with appropriate proportions according to the planning for flooding prevention and control of the river section with dikes and other related planning; on the remaining river islets, works for public spaces and works serving public purposes are allowed to be built provided that such works are not intended to elevate the river islets in order to avoid causing water flow obstructions.

3. The People's Committee of the City shall decide adjustments to determination of environmental zoning in the Capital Planning, local adjustments to the urban master plan, master plan for construction of functional areas, and specialized planning for technical infrastructures of the City that have been approved by the Prime Minister, and report the results to the Prime Minister.

The People's Council of the City shall elaborate order and procedures for adjustments to the determination of environmental zoning and local adjustments to the planning specified in this Clause.

4. For areas that have a master plan or zoning plan, district construction plan approved according to the provisions of law on planning, law on construction, law on urban planning, it is not required. Establishing district-level land use planning based on the general planning or zoning planning, district construction planning and land use norms allocated from the Capital's General Planning and land use norms of the locality to prepare annual district-level land use plans.

Article 18. Planning compliance measures

1. In a historic inner city area, it does not expand the land area of ​​existing hospitals; not expand or build new industrial parks, industrial clusters, industrial production establishments, higher education institutions, or vocational education institutions.

Higher education institutions and vocational education institutions that do not have their headquarters or training locations in the historic inner-city area before the effective date of this Law are not allowed to locate their training locations in this historic inner city area.

2. Industrial production establishments, health facilities, higher education institutions, vocational education institutions and headquarters of agencies and units in central urban areas that do not conform to the Capital Master Plan must be relocated.

3. The authority to decide on the relocation of establishments and headquarters specified in Clause 2 of this Article is specified as follows:

a) The Prime Minister decides on the list, measures and roadmap for relocation of industrial production establishments, health facilities, higher education institutions, vocational education institutions and headquarters of agencies and units under the management of central authorities and organizations;

b) The People's Council of the City decides on the list, measures and roadmap for relocation of establishments and headquarters that are not specified in Point a of this Clause.

4. The People's Committee of the City is responsible for allocating land banks in conformity with the planning so that agencies, units and establishments on the list of relocation prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article can build new establishments and headquarters when necessary.

5. Land banks, after the relocation specified in Clause 2 of this Article, will be handed over to the People's Committee of the City for management and use according to the following regulations:

a) In the historic inner city area, it is allowed to build public spaces, increase the proportion of urban green space for public use and preserve, and promote cultural values, develop tourism, and it is not allowed to arrange accommodation;

b) In other areas of the central urban area, priority will be given to the construction of public works and social welfare works, ensuring that they meet social and technical infrastructure standards according to urban classification.

6. When investing in the construction of new roads, urban railways or expanding existing roads according to planning in the City, the planning agency must determine location, boundaries, and area of ​​land to be expropriated in the vicinity of such roads or urban railways to carry out urban renovation and urban beautification, in-situ resettlement, and development of housing, commerce and services.

The City People's Committee is responsible for reporting to the City People's Council to consider deciding on the location, boundaries, and area of ​​land to be expropriated in the vicinity of roads or urban railways to carry out urban renovation and urban beautification, in-situ resettlement, and development of housing, commerce and services before the detailed planning is approved.

When executing of the project to develop roads or urban railways according to the approved planning, the competent agency of Hanoi city shall expropriate land in the vicinity to be used according to the planning. The land repossession in this case is applied as in the case of repossession of land within the same road or urban railway development project.

7. The City People's Committee shall approve investment projects to build works at river islets on rivers with dikes in the City according to the Capital Planning, Capital Master Planning and the other related planning.

The City People's Council shall elaborate procedures for investment in building works at river islets.

Article 19. Management and use of underground space

1. The management and use of underground space must comply with the following principles:

a) Based on a full assessment of natural conditions, geology, geomorphology, and hydrology;

b) Conform with strategies, planning and plans;

c) Ensure national defense and security; prioritize dual-use works that can be ready to be converted to serve national defense and security needs; preserve cultural space and environmental landscape, historical-cultural monuments, and scenic spots; ensure synchronous connection with above-ground space and relevant underground construction spaces;

d) Underground works, including foundations, piles and underground parts of above-ground works, must be constructed according to construction investment projects, construction investment project items or construction permits according to the provisions of construction law.

2. Underground space must be functionally zoned for management, operation and use. The user of a land parcel within the City is allowed to use the underground space vertically within the boundary of the land parcel from the ground to the depth limit as prescribed by the Government in accordance with the planning. Underground use beyond the depth limit prescribed by the Government must be licensed in accordance with the approved planning.

Organizations and individuals permitted by the State for underground use beyond the depth limit prescribed by the Government to build underground works must pay for the use of underground space, except in cases where levies on underground space are exempted or reduced for underground works used for purposes other than business purposes, on the list of works given construction investment incentives or other cases prescribed by the Government.

The Government shall elaborate this Clause.

3. The City People's Council shall issue the list of underground works given construction investment incentives.

Article 20. Urban renovation and urban beautification

1. Urban renovation and beautification in the City must conform with planning and regulations on architectural management and urban design; protect cultural and historical heritages, nature, architectural works and landscapes of the Capital; ensure regulations and standards on construction, fire prevention and fighting; enhance urban amenities and improve the living environment for residents in renovated and beautified areas.

2. The urban renovation and urban beautification in the City shall be in accordance with projects, including:

a) Project to reconstruct a specific urban area, except for public transport-oriented urban development projects;

b) Project to beautify a work or a group of construction works in a specific area;

c) Project to protect or repair a work or a group of works or areas with cultural, historical, natural, architectural or urban landscape values;

d) Mixed renovation and beautification project is a construction investment project that may include new construction works, works of renovation, beautification, reconstruction, protection and repair.

3. Urban renovation and beautification in the City shall be carried out in the following cases:

a) Urban areas have construction works with structures and distances between works that do not meet the standards prescribed by the law on construction and the law on fire prevention and fighting;

b) Urban areas have construction works that are in danger, degraded, or at risk of collapse and are forced to be demolished according to the provisions of construction law and housing law; areas have traffic infrastructure that does not meet traffic safety requirements according to traffic laws;

c) Urban areas do not meet all standards and regulations for technical and social infrastructure of dwelling units and there is no longer enough land bank to develop additional technical and social infrastructure;

d) Urban areas are not in accordance with planning and regulations on architectural management and urban design; urban areas have population exceeding the standard capacity of existing dwelling units and need to be relocated to reduce population density according to planning;

dd) Urban areas have valuable architectural works, historical-cultural monuments, and scenic spots that need to be protected and repaired whose surrounding construction works are not suitable for protection;

e) Urban areas have headquarters of agencies, units or establishments that must be relocated according to the provisions of law, have production, business or service establishments that already have or are likely to have accidents that threaten people's health and lives.

4. House owners or land users in urban areas may propose implementation of urban renovation and beautification projects if all house owners or land users within the project boundaries of the proposed urban renovation and beautification projects agree to contribute land use rights or readjust land according to land laws.

The urban renovation and beautification in this case must be under urban renovation and beautification projects whose developers are enterprises unanimously chosen by the house owners or land users. The project developers are responsible for developing detailed planning, setting up urban renovation and beautification projects and submitting them to the City People's Committee for approval and execution of the urban renovation and beautification projects, ensuring compliance with the approved planning.

In cases where house owners or land users contribute land use rights to expand land banks for public use, not for business purposes to serve urban renovation and beautification, and fail to choose the project developers themselves, competent state agencies shall play the role of project developer.

5. For areas falling under the cases specified in Clause 3 of this Article where urban renovation and beautification projects executed according to Clause 4 of this Article are not set up, the City People's Committee is responsible for specifically determining areas in need of urban renovation and beautification; organizing public announcement of areas in need of urban renovation and beautification along with information on location, boundaries and architectural planning criteria according to the approved zoning planning to call for investment. In case there is only 01 investor who meets the conditions set out in the request for expression of interest, the investor will be approved as the project developer according to investment laws; In case expressions of interests are submitted by 02 or more investors, bidding for investor selection shall comply with bidding laws.

The selected investor is responsible for developing detailed planning, setting up an urban renovation and beautification project, including compensation, resettlement, plans for handling public property, and distributing benefits from organizing urban renovation and beautification.

Detailed planning scheme and information about the proposed project for urban renovation and beautification must be publicly announced in the area of the renovation and beautification project and on the mass media and only be approved if at least 75% of the house owners, and land users (equivalent at least 75% of the areas proposed for the renovation and beautification) agree. 

6. In case of urgent need for urban renovation and beautification but investors cannot be selected as prescribed in Clauses 4 and 5 of this Article, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City shall recover land, organize compensation, support and resettlement and organize LUR auctions. The proceeds from the LUR auctions that are greater than the amounts spent on compensation, support and resettlement shall continue to be divided and paid to house owners and land users whose land is recovered. The use of land acquired at auction must be consistent with the planning and objectives of urban renovation and beautification.

7. The renovation and reconstruction of old apartment buildings in an apartment complex or urban area in accordance with the law on housing shall only be carried out when they are in accordance with the urban planning and the requirements for urban renovation and beautification for the whole apartment complex.

8. For valuable architectural works held by multiple owners, the City People's Committee shall allocate funds according to the procedures of the law on the state budget to support the quality inspection of such works; support individuals and organizations to carry out urban renovation and beautification.

9. The City People's Council shall:

a) Elaborate clauses 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of this Article;

b) Stipulate the responsibilities of project developers and owners in the quality inspection of apartment buildings for implementation of urban renovation and beautification projects;

c) Decide on mechanisms to support inspection, relocation, compensation, resettlement, occupational change, implementation of urban renovation and beautification projects;

d) Stipulate measures to support and encourage the implementation of urban renovation and beautification.

10. The City People's Committee shall:

a) Organize the formulation, appraisal and approval of urban renovation and beautification projects;

b) Promulgate the Regulation on management of valuable architectural works, which specifies the requirements, conditions and measures for protection, renovation, management, operation and use of valuable architectural works; 

c) Decide on the auction of the right to lease old villas and buildings belonging to public property not used for residential purposes for tourism development, service business, cuisine, cultural and artistic promotion in association with commitments on preservation, repair and maintenance of works. 

11. The City People's Committee shall decide on the establishment, organization and operation of the Capital's Historic Inner City Preservation Fund.

The Capital's Historic Inner City Preservation Fund is a non-budget state financial fund, supported by the state budget with charter capital. The Fund's revenue sources are formed from sponsorships, voluntary contributions, and entrusted capital of domestic and foreign organizations and individuals; other lawful financial sources other than the state budget.

The Capital's Historic Inner City Preservation Fund is used to support programs, projects and non-project activities for urban renovation and beautification in association with the conservation, repair, restoration and promotion of cultural and historical values of the historic inner city area; repair and restoration of valuable architectural works in the city in addition to the expenditure tasks of the state budget.

Article 21. Development of culture, sports and tourism

1. The protection and development of the Capital's culture must be worthy of the thousand-year tradition of Thang Long - Hanoi; Hanoi is developed to be the center of cultural convergence and crystallization of the whole country; culture of Hanoi people is magnificent, elegant, loving, and civilized, typical of Vietnamese culture, conscience and dignity.

2. The City People's Council shall prescribe measures to prioritize resources for the protection and development of the Capital's culture; the investment of resources to effectively manage, operate and use and meet the requirements of protection and development of the Capital's culture and international integration; investment of resources to develop high-performance sports, build modern sports works that meet regional and world standards; training of athletes and coaches at national and international levels; encouragement of organizations and individuals to participate in the development of high- performance sports and professional sports.

3. Resources shall be concentrated to protect and promote the cultural values of the following areas, relics, heritages and works:

a) Ba Dinh area;

b) Historical relics of President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area at the Presidential Palace; Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh Museum;

c) The relics of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam and other cultural heritages recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as world cultural and natural heritages, representative intangible cultural heritages of mankind, intangible cultural heritage in urgent need of protection, documentary heritage under the Memory of the World Programme;

d) Co Loa relics and other special national relics, national relics, national treasures and intangible cultural heritages on the list of national intangible cultural heritages in the city; city-level relics; cultural heritages on inventoried lists;

dd) Hoan Kiem Lake area, West Lake area;

e) Old towns, ancient villages, craft villages and villages with typical traditional trades;

g) Valuable architectural works.

4. The City People's Council shall promulgate a list of areas, relics, heritages and works where resources need to be concentrated to protect and promote cultural values specified in Clause 3 of this Article; lists of typical streets with cultural and historical value, lists of valuable architectural works for restoration, protection and promotion of values; stipulate the preparation of valuable architectural work management dossiers, the support for individuals and organizations to renovate and protect valuable architectural works and areas held by many owners.

5. The City People's Council shall prescribe the subjects, contents and levels of support higher than the prescribed level or not yet specified in documents of superior state agencies in accordance with the City's budget balancing capacity in the following cases:

a) Persons operating in the field of culture, art, artisans and practitioners of intangible cultural heritage;

b) The teaching, practice and promotion of intangible cultural heritage values;

c) Athletes and coaches participating in training and coaching in high-performance sports disciplines, training of high-performance sports teams of the city and national high-performance sports teams;

d) Training of athletes to become national and international coaches and referees;

dd) Athletes, coaches and art activists who suffer from accidents or health impairments due to training, coaching, competition or art performance; athletes, coaches and professional art activists who learn new professions or change professions when they no longer meet the requirements of competition, training and artistic activities.

6. The City People's Council shall stipulate additional bonuses for coaches and athletes who make achievements in high-performance sports tournaments, and artistic and cultural workers who are presented with high regional and international awards.

7. Hanoi city is allowed to build cultural industrial centers on the river islets and floating areas of the Red River and other areas with the advantage of cultural space location in accordance with the planning.

The City People's Council shall detail the establishment competence; procedures for establishment; the organization, operation and management of the cultural industry centers and preferential policies for the cultural industry centers built on the basis of the City's resources.

8. Hanoi city may establish commercial and cultural development zones on the basis of existing neighborhoods, streets, craft villages and rural residential areas in order to mobilize social resources for investment in the development of service, commercial and cultural activities in areas with advantages in commercial location, cultural space, on the basis of ensuring higher standards and conditions on business culture, security, order and environmental protection than general regulations to attract and develop tourism, promote cultural values, promote commercial activities in the area, improve people's living conditions, preserve traditional trades.

The establishment, organization, operation and management of a commercial and cultural development zone shall comply with the following provisions:

a) The commercial and cultural development zone shall be established and operated on the principle of voluntariness and self-management. The commercial and cultural development zone shall be managed and administrated by the Management Council, including representatives of grassroots administrations, grassroots socio-political organizations, representatives of production, business and service establishments and population communities in the zone;

b) The commercial and cultural development zone may decide on revenues on the basis of the scheme approved by the City People's Committee to ensure payment for the management and operation of the commercial and cultural development zone; payment for the renovation, beautification, landscape protection, environmental protection, security and order maintenance; payment for services and utilities for production, business and service establishments, people in the zone and customers, product and service promotion activities of production, business and service establishments, cultural activities and other related activities; payment for compensate households affected by the operation of the commercial and cultural development zone;

c) The establishment, scope, scale and objectives of development of the commercial and cultural development zone; the establishment of the Management Council; revenues, rates, subjects of payment, exemption and reduction, financial management and expenditure mechanism; the operation regulations of the commercial and cultural development zone must be agreed upon by the majority of representatives of production, business and service establishments and households permanently residing in the zone;

d) The commercial and cultural development zone must have a commitment with state agencies and population communities on ensuring standards and conditions on business culture, security, social order and safety, environmental protection, promotion of cultural values, promotion of commercial activities in the zone, improvement of people's living conditions, preservation of traditional trades;

dd) The City People's Committee shall approve the scheme on establishment, revenues, rates, subjects of payment, exemption and reduction, financial management and expenditure mechanism, operation regulations of the commercial and cultural development zone; promulgate a decision to permit the establishment of the commercial and cultural development zone; approve members of the Management Council of the commercial and cultural development zone.

The City People's Committee and the People's Committee of the district-level or commune-level division where the commercial and cultural development zone is located shall guide and inspect the operation of the commercial and cultural development zone according to the regulations of the City People's Council;

e) The City People's Council shall elaborate this Clause and promulgate the Model Regulation of the commercial and cultural development zone.

Article 22. Education and training development

1. The development of education and training is for the capital to become a large and typical center of the country for high-quality education and training, adapt to the process of national digital transformation, innovation and international integration.

2. Invest in and build a system of public schools, high-quality educational institutions, educational institutions with multiple levels of education to ensure pedagogical space and landscape inside and outside the school, and the teaching staff to serve the learning needs of students to the maximum; ensure the allocation of land banks for school construction in favourable locations; do not arrange schools near cemeteries and production establishments, causing noise and air pollution.

3. The city's public preschool and general education institutions may carry out educational associations with foreign educational institutions.

The Government shall elaborate the conditions, procedures, educational programs, issuance of diplomas and certificates of joint education and teaching of integrated educational programs.

4. The City People's Council shall prescribe the following contents:

a) Financial mechanisms applying to high-quality public educational institutions, public educational institutions with multiple levels of education, and public educational institutions that have educational associations with foreign educational institutions;

b) Amounts of support and roadmaps for tuition fee support for high school students and preschool children in the city, regardless of public and private schools; Amounts of tuition fee support for vocational training at intermediate and college levels for learners permanent residing in Hanoi.

5. The City People's Committee shall prescribe the following contents:

a) Criteria on material foundations, contingent of managers, teachers, curriculum, teaching methods and educational services of high-quality educational institutions and educational institutions with multiple levels of education;

b) Procedures for recognition and revocation of decisions on recognition of high-quality educational institutions; the assessment, accreditation and assurance of maintaining the quality of high-quality educational institutions;

c) The adjustment and supplementation of preschool education and general education programs in terms of a number of subjects and supplementary education activities at high-quality public educational institutions to suit the economic, cultural and social conditions of the Capital in the direction of approaching regional and international education.

6. The City People's Committee shall decide on recognition and revocation of the decision to recognize high-quality educational institutions.

Article 23. Development of science and technology, innovation, digital transformation

1. Synchronously develop fields of science and technology; prioritize resources of investment in building the Capital to become the leading center for innovation, digital transformation, technology research, development and transfer of the country and the region.

The key fields of science and technology of the Capital include digital technology, information and communication technology, biotechnology, new material technology, manufacturing and automation technology, technology for environment, carbon emission reduction, adaption to climate change response and other fields decided by the City People's Council.

The City People's Committee shall promulgate the list of key scientific and technological tasks of the Capital, regulations on management of scientific and technological tasks of the Capital.

2. Organizations and individuals performing key scientific and technological tasks of the Capital are entitled to apply the following policies:

a) Organizations and individuals in charge of tasks may decide on forms of selection of contractors providing services and goods;

b) Enterprises and scientific and technological organizations may receive support from the City budget for procurement and operation of machinery and equipment in service of the performance of their tasks;

c) Incomes from the performance of key scientific and technological tasks of the Capital are incomes not subject to personal income tax;

d) Enterprises are entitled to the same incentives as high-tech enterprises in accordance with the law on high technology during the performance of key scientific and technological tasks of the Capital.

3. Scientific research and application of scientific and technological progress transfer shall be subject to the following policies:

a) Key scientific and technological tasks of the Capital, city-level trial production projects assigned through selection or direct assignment according to regulations of the City People's Council;

b) Organizations and individuals in charge of scientific and technological tasks using the city budget may apply fixed payments according to the results and products of scientific and technological tasks;

c) Enterprises, scientific and technological organizations, state regulatory agencies and public service providers may receive property, results and products formed from scientific and technological tasks using the City budget by transfer without compensation when they fully meet the conditions on the capacity to apply, develop results and products to serve the socio-economic development and management of the Capital;

d) Enterprises and scientific and technological organizations operating in the city may be partly supported from the city budget to form research and development centers, laboratories and receive technology transfer in key fields of science and technology of the Capital.

4. Public higher education institutions, public vocational education institutions, other public scientific and technological organizations in the city may establish or participate in the establishment of enterprises, contribute capital to enterprises for the commercialization of scientific research results, and the development of technologies under the intellectual property rights of such institutions and organizations. Public employees working at public higher education institutions, public vocational education institutions, other public scientific and technological organizations in the city may participate in capital contribution, management and administration of enterprises established by such institutions or organizations or participate in the establishment with the consent of the heads of the institutions or organizations.

The Government of Vietnam shall elaborate this clause.

5. Startups in key fields of science and technology of the Capital operating in the city are supported with incubation costs, including costs of organizing project selection, costs of hiring experts, direct laborers, innovative start-up services, costs for using technical facilities, incubators, and co-working areas.

6. The City People's Council shall elaborate Clauses 2, 3 and 5 of this Article.

Article 24. Development of high-tech parks

1. The construction and development of hi-tech parks, concentrated information technology parks and high-tech agricultural zones in the city (hereinafter collectively referred to as hi-tech parks) shall comply with the following regulations:

a) The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City shall decide on the establishment, adjustment and expansion of the boundaries of hi-tech parks in the city; promulgate the operation regulations of hi-tech parks established by the City People's Committee;

b) The City People's Committee shall devolve or authorize the hi-tech park management board to allocate land, lease land and manage land within Hoa Lac hi-tech park;

c) Projects on investment and operation in hi-tech parks shall be provided with the most advantageous mechanisms or policies on investment incentives or supports in accordance with this Law, the law on hi-tech and other relevant laws.

2. Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park is a key area of research, development, testing, application of high technology, training of high-tech human resources, production of high-tech products and innovation of the country and the Capital; a location for testing and piloting mechanisms and policies for the development of high technology and high-tech parks in the country.

Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park is subject to the following regulations:

a) The City budget shall allocate capital for investment in the construction and development of Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, in which priority is given to investment in the system of technical infrastructure works; high-tech technical infrastructure and infrastructure for scientific and technological development in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park; compensation, support and resettlement; construction of accommodation buildings in accordance with the planning for employees working in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park to rent during working time;

b) For functional zones in need of investment in the construction of technical infrastructure, the State shall invest through the hi-tech park management board or lease out land to investors in the construction and business of infrastructure for the land area for construction of the technical infrastructure system and land used for public purposes according to the approved construction zoning planning.

The State shall lease out land without land use right auction for projects to implement various types of high-tech activities using land;

c) Investors implementing projects on production of hi-tech products in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park may convert part or all of the project objectives into high-tech research and development, hi-tech incubation, hi-tech enterprise incubation, innovation or provision of hi-tech services and continue to use the allocated or leased investment locations and land banks to implement their projects according to the transformation objectives;

d) The management council of a public service provider or the head of a public service provider in case there is no management council in Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park may decide on the use of public property for business, lease, joint venture or association purposes in accordance with the functions and tasks of the provider in case where the provider uses public property to provide services for high-tech activities, shared equipment, spaces for working, research, incubation, testing and technology demonstration in order to support high-tech activities, develop an innovation and start-up ecosystem or in cases prescribed by law on management and use of public property.

The use of public property of public service providers under the management of the City for business, lease, joint venture or association purposes shall comply with the regulations of the City People's Council.

The use of public property of public service providers under the management of ministries or ministerial agencies for business, lease, joint venture or association purposes shall comply with the regulations of the respective ministers and heads of ministerial agencies;

dd) Property donated, contributed, aided, sponsored or transferred by another method by domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to the Hi-tech park management board or a public service provider operating in Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park shall be determined as lawful public property of the provider directly receiving, managing and using the property without following procedures for establishing the public ownership.

3. A Hi-tech park management board is an administrative organization under the City People's Committee that performs the function of direct state management of hi-tech parks in the city. The hi-tech park management board may perform the following tasks and powers:

a) Appraise and approve zoning plannings and detailed construction plannings within hi-tech parks;

b) Approve investment guidelines, approve adjustment of investment guidelines for projects under the competence to approve investment guidelines of the City People's Committee; grant, adjust and revoke investment registration certificates for investment projects in hi-tech parks;

c) Approve the demand for using foreign workers for each job position that Vietnamese people are unqualified of enterprises headquartered in hi-tech parks or of agencies, organizations or units having job positions requiring foreign workers to work within the hi-tech parks; approve the use of foreign workers by contractors operating in hi-tech parks; grant, re-grant, extend or revoke work permits for foreigners working in hi-tech parks; certify that foreigners working in hi-tech parks are not subject to work permits;

d) Grant, re-grant, adjust, extend, revoke and cancel construction permits for new construction, repair, renovation and relocation of works within hi-tech parks;

dd) Assign land, lease land and manage land within Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park when being decentralized and authorized by the City People's Committee;

e) Perform other tasks and powers as prescribed by relevant laws.

4. The City People's Council shall prescribe the following contents:

a) The order and procedures for exercising the competence specified at Point a, Clause 1 of this Article, Points a, b, c and d, Clause 3 of this Article; the implementation of the provisions at Point dd, Clause 2 of this Article for public service providers under the management of the City;

b) Mechanisms, policies and incentives and support measures to attract high-tech human resources to work in hi-tech parks and promote innovation activities in hi-tech parks;

c) The determination of the collection rate, the collection, remittance and use of compensation for ground clearance refunded by land users in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park; policies on incentives and supports for compensation for ground clearance refunded for a number of specific cases;

d) The determination of collection rates, the collection, remittance and use of infrastructure use levies, wastewater treatment levies and incentive and support policies for state agencies and public service providers operating within Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park.

5. Ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies shall elaborate the order and procedures for formulation, consultation and decision on schemes on use of public property for business, lease, joint venture or association purposes, methods and prices of lease of public property specified at Point d, Clause 2 of this Article and the implementation of the provisions at Point dd, Clause 2 of this Article for public service providers under their management.

Article 25. Controlled testing

1. Controlled testing refers to the testing of innovative new technologies, products, services, or business models, which is done in actual conditions within a restricted scope under the special control of competent state authorities in fields that are likely to bring high socio-economic efficiency and value, is not stipulated or permitted by the law or is done in cases where current laws are not appropriate for with the new characteristics or features of the proposed technologies, products, services, or business models to encourage innovation and form the basis for state agencies to consider and assess risks that may arise before deciding to put them into official application, thereby determining appropriate management and adjustment mechanisms.

Controlled testing may be limited in terms of the geographic space in which it is done; the scale of testing; subjects eligible to use technologies, products and services, or participate in tested business models (hereinafter referred to as users); number of users or other necessary limits.

The maximum duration of controlled testing is 03 years and may be extended one time for up to 03 years.

2. Controlled testing shall be conducted with permission for a limited period of time for technologies, products, services and business models whose testing has not yet been prescribed by law, not yet permitted or permitted for a definite period of time, and a number of provisions of law shall not be applied within the scope of testing limits for technologies, products, services and business models that have been prescribed by law that is not specific enough or is no longer appropriate.

3. Organizations and enterprises are allowed to conduct controlled testing when they meet the following conditions:

a) The technologies, products, services or business models proposed for testing are innovative and may be applied and deployed in the City. Technologies, products, services and business models that may be deployed in hi-tech parks, National Innovation Center, Innovation Center of the City will be given priority;

b) The proposed technologies, products, services or business models (with priority given to fields of high-tech industry, key fields of science and technology of the Capital) have the prospect of high socio-economic value and efficiency; are not in the field of national defense and security, human gene modification and editing; are not to infringe upon national security, social order and safety;

c) The organization or enterprise proposing the testing must have a testing plan, including an assessment of the benefits and risks to the testing participants, users, other related parties, national security, social order and safety, and market competitiveness; commitments to the safety of users and related parties; risk control measures; the mechanism for resolving user complaints; scope and measures to compensate for damages; and must provide information and documents proving their capacity in accordance with the proposed testing plan;

d) The proposed testing limit is consistent with the control capacity of the City administration.

4. Authorization and conduction of controlled testing must comply with the following guidelines:

a) Ensuring equality among organizations and enterprises in proposing, registering, participating in and exercising rights and obligations in the course of testing;

b) Ensuring publicity and transparency in the course of testing; users must be fully informed about the testing status, possible risks and measures to compensate for damages, if any; having a mechanism for receiving, evaluating and handling publicly and promptly feedback from testing organizations and enterprises and users during the course of testing;

c) Ensuring the requirements of national defense, security, social order and safety, the interests of users and the interests of society during the course of testing;

d) Testing organizations, enterprises and individuals are exempt from civil liability for damage caused to the State and are excluded from administrative liability and penal liability when they have strictly and fully complied with the contents specified in the regulation on controlled testing and the guidance of competent state agencies specified in Clause 7 of this Article, except for cases in the course of testing where they know or are forced to know about the risks but fail to promptly inform and report to competent state agencies and fail to fully apply appropriate measures to prevent and limit the extent of possible damage.

5. Testing organizations or enterprises are permitted to fail to apply a number of provisions of law on technical standards and regulations on technologies, products and services, business conditions, licensing order and procedures, assurance of business conditions and other regulations that are inconsistent with new characteristics and features of the proposed technologies, products, services, or business models.

The City People's Council shall decide on the scope of exemption from the application of the provisions of law to each specific testing project in accordance with the testing requirements and purposes at the request of the City People's Committee on the basis of assessment of risk level and controllability.

6. The City People's Committee shall have the following tasks and powers:

a) Decide on and announce the list of fields given priority and encouragement to register controlled testing;

b) Permit testing and promulgate separate testing regulations for each new technology, product, service or business model permitted for testing; decide on adjustment of testing scope, extension of testing period and termination of testing;

c) Organize the guidance and control of the course of testing;

d) Consult ministries and ministerial-level agencies responsible for performing the state management of sectors and fields related to the testing contents in terms of proposed subjects and scope of controlled testing and issues arising during the course of testing if deeming it necessary.

Ministries and ministerial-level agencies shall be responsible for giving comments on the contents requested for consultation by the City People's Committee;

dd) Request the City People's Council to grant permission to exempt the application of a number of provisions of law to serve the testing requirements as prescribed in Clause 5 of this Article before permitting the testing. Report the contents, scope and subjects exempted from the application of law provisions to the agency competent to promulgate such provisions for monitoring and serving state management requirements;

e) Send annual reports to the Government and the City People's Council on the situation and results of conduction of controlled testing contents permitted by the Committee.

Send reports to the Government on the results of each testing project at the time of completion of the project or when it is capable of official application, clearly stating the benefits, risks and management requirements for the tested technologies, products, services and business models that have been clarified during the course of testing; propose solutions to improve the law on relevant fields and contents.

7. An agency guiding and controlling the testing process has the following powers and responsibilities:

a) Advise on the formulation, supplementation and adjustment of guidelines for the implementation of law for testing activities;

b) Receive, consider and answer legal problems arising during the course of testing in accordance with its competence or propose to the City People's Committee for consideration and settlement;

c) Regularly and irregularly inspect the testing; evaluate the application of risk control measures of the testing organization or enterprise during the course of testing; promptly detect and prevent risks of abuse and out-of-control during the course of testing;

d) Receive, consider and settle within its competence or request competent agencies to settle proposals and reports of users or third parties about testing;

dd) Request the testing organization or enterprise to report and explain arising issues;

e) Request the testing organization or enterprise to provide additional risk control measures; decide on suspension of testing; request the City People's Committee to decide on adjustment of the scope of testing, extension of testing period, or termination of testing;

g) Send annual reports to the City People's Committee on the situation and results of the implementation of controlled testing contents that they are assigned to guide, control or report on an irregular basis upon request; a report on the testing results at the end of the testing, clearly stating the benefits, risks and management requirements for the tested technology, product, service or business model that have been clarified during the course of testing;

h) The agency guiding and controlling the testing process, the officials directly guiding and controlling the testing that have properly and fully complied with the regulations on the order, procedures and mechanisms for guidance and control within the scope of their assigned responsibilities and have clear motives and work for the common interest may be excluded from responsibility or not handled in accordance with relevant laws, except for cases where they know or are compelled to know about the risks to the testing process but fail to fully apply appropriate measures to prevent or limit the extent of damage that may occur.

8. The regulation on separate testing for each technology, product, service or business model decided by the City People's Committee under the provisions of Point b, Clause 6 of this Article must include the following basic contents:

a) The name and content of the new technology, product, service or business model permitted for controlled testing;

b) Organization or enterprise permitted to conduct the testing;

c) Testing duration;

d) Limits on geographical space, testing scale, number, range of users or other necessary limits on testing contents;

dd) Legal provisions that the testing organization or enterprise is exempt from implementation (if any);

e) The agency guiding and controlling the testing process;

g) The powers and responsibilities of the agency guiding and controlling the testing process;

h) Rights, obligations and commitments of the testing organization or enterprise;

i) Other requirements and instructions to be complied with during the course of testing.

9. The City People's Council shall elaborate the criteria and conditions for selection and the order and procedures for permitting, adjusting, extending and terminating controlled testing; mechanism for guiding and controlling the testing process; rights, obligations and responsibilities of agencies, organizations and individuals during the course of controlled testing.

10. On the basis of the report of the City People's Committee, the Government shall organize the consideration and assessment of the results and effectiveness of the implementation of the controlled testing contents for decision within its competence or request agencies with decision-making authority to promulgate, amend or supplement laws on relevant fields and contents as a basis for the official application of tested technologies, products, services or business models.

Article 26. Medical development and people's health care

1. Building an advanced and modern medical system in the Capital that is appropriate to the structure, population size and implementation area, comprehensively meets the needs of people's health care, and makes the Capital a major health center of the whole country and the region. Focusing on developing a number of fields approaching the technology of the world. Improving the quality of medical examination and treatment and the capacity of systems of preventive medicine, grassroots health and family medicine examination and treatment networks. Developing a system of public and non-public out-of-hospital emergency care.

2. The City People's Council shall prescribe the following contents:

a) The use of the City budget to support the payment of a number of family medicine examination and treatment services that have not yet been paid by the health insurance fund to family medicine examination and treatment establishments in the city;

b) The use of the City budget to support the payment for out-of-hospital emergency services;

c) Prices of family medicine examination and treatment services, and out-of-hospital emergency services that have not been prescribed by competent state agencies in accordance with the law on medical examination and treatment and the co-payment rate of patients when using out-of-hospital emergency services as a basis for providing payment support specified at Point a and Point b of this Clause;

d) Support in the training and development of medical human resources performing medical examination and treatment in family medicine, grassroots medicine, preventive medicine, and people's health care; support in funds for training abroad, update and transfer of modern technologies and advanced techniques in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, food safety, epidemic prevention and control, and public health to public health facilities of the City.

3. The City People's Committee shall:

a) Prescribe criteria for high-quality and modern medical examination and treatment establishments in the field of health under the management of the City to be given investment incentives as prescribed in Article 43 of this Law;

b) Determine the roadmap for development, organization and operation of the out-of-hospital emergency care system in the city, including Hospital 115, Emergency Coordination Center, Emergency Training Center and Emergency Network, Emergency Station 115 and out-of-hospital emergency teams of medical examination and treatment establishments under the management of the City;

c) Stipulate the registration of provision of family medicine examination and treatment services, management of operations of family medicine examination and treatment establishments or other medical examination and treatment establishments qualifying in family medicine in the City.

Article 27. Social policies, social security, social welfare

1. Building a system of social policies, social security and social welfare of the Capital to ensure diversity, comprehensiveness, modernity, sustainability, and coverage of the whole people; to enable people to have maximum access to essential social services in health, education, culture, physical training, sports, social assistance, legal aid, clean water, social housing, and access to information.

2. The City People's Council shall decide on the following social policies:

a) Allocate budgets for support for poverty reduction, job creation, social housing loans, support for workers and laborers in industrial parks to apply for loans for social housing;

b) Provide support for occupation change and job search for poor ethnic minority households living in communes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas engaged in agriculture and forestry in case of failure to allocate production land.

3. The City People's Council shall decide on the following social security and welfare policies:

a) Provide support for voluntary social insurance premiums at the rate of 100% for poor households; at least 60% for near-poor households; at least 20% for other subjects;

b) Provide support for 100% of health insurance premiums for disabled persons, near-poor households, and the elderly aged 70 years or older; support for other subjects at a higher level than prescribed or for subjects not yet specified in documents of superior state agencies;

c) Assist in the execution of the free annual health check-up program for the elderly in the city. Funding for health check-ups is covered by the City budget, socialization sources according to the appropriate roadmap.

4. The City People's Council shall prescribe the subjects, contents, levels of support and the order and procedures for implementation of social policies, social security and social welfare of the City; gradually expand the scope of beneficiaries and allocate the budget in accordance with the practical conditions and balancing capacity of the City budget to perform the tasks specified in Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article.

Article 28. Environmental protection

1. The Capital's environmental management and protection shall comply with the principles of sustainable development, circular economy development and proactive response to climate change in association with the maintenance of natural factors, biodiversity, culture and history of the Capital; ensure the proportion of green space according to the planning.

2. The City People's Council shall:

a) Stipulate criteria, conditions, order and procedures for determination of low-emission zones; decide on the scope of low-emission zones and measures to be applied in the zones according to appropriate roadmaps;

b) Decide on policies to support organizations and individuals in converting their means of transport from using fossil fuels to using clean energy; stipulate measures to limit the use of means of transport with emissions that cause environmental pollution; support investment in the development of transport infrastructure using clean energy;

c) Prescribe measures to support the relocation of production establishments in residential areas and production establishments in industries and trades that are not encouraged to develop in rural trade villages;

d) Stipulate measures to reduce plastic emissions in production, business, service and daily activities in the city; prescribe support and incentive measures for treatment, production, business, service provision and consumption related to waste recycling using the best available techniques.

Article 29. Housing development

1. Housing development programs and plans in the city must be consistent with the Capital Planning and the Capital master plan; priority is given to investment in the construction of urban areas, houses and independent social housing areas in the direction of modernity, convenience and synchronization with the construction of urban technical and social infrastructure.

2. The development of social housing in the city is subject to the following regulations:

a) The formulation of detailed planning tasks shall be simultaneous with the formulation of detailed planning scheme and the collection of feedback from relevant population communities; the appraisal and approval of detailed planning tasks must be carried out in advance to be the basis for appraisal and approval of detailed planning scheme;

b) The City People's Council shall decide on the use of the city budget to invest in the construction of framework technical infrastructure works and essential social infrastructure in investment projects to build independent social housing.

3. In case the project developer of an apartment building renovation and reconstruction project cannot be selected in accordance with the law on housing, the City People's Committee shall decide on repossession of the land of the apartment building, compensation, support and resettlement and organization of a LUR auction after at least two-thirds of the total number of house owners and land users within the project agree. The proceeds from the LUR auction that are greater than the amounts spent on compensation, support and resettlement shall continue to be divided and paid to each house owner and land user.

4. The City People's Council shall provide for mechanisms, policies, incentive and support measures for projects to develop housing and accommodation arranged for employees working in hi-tech parks and industrial parks in the city.

5. The City People's Council shall elaborate this Article.

Article 30. Development of technical infrastructure and transport infrastructure

The City People's Council shall prescribe the following contents:

1. Policies on investment and mobilization of resources to invest in the construction, development, and maintenance of technical infrastructure works, works for ensuring traffic safety, or preventing traffic congestion, and public underground works in the city;

2. Policies on development of public transport systems; encouragement of investment in the construction and operation of urban railways, buses, railway stations, bus stations, car parks and the use of low-emission means of transport; limit of personal vehicles entering the central area to reduce traffic congestion and reduce emissions; application of traffic congestion reduction fees;

3. Policies on development of ring roads, logistics centers, public transport systems in the city and connection with provinces and central-affiliated cities with regional association and development with the Capital;

4. Encouragement of application of high technology in the management and administration of the transport system;

5. Policies on management and operation of urban roads and railways, ensuring traffic order and safety and urban civilization.

Article 31. Transit-oriented development

1. Transit-oriented development (hereinafter referred to as TOD) is a solution for planning, renovating, embellishing and developing urban areas, taking urban railway traffic connection points or traffic connection points using other public transport forms as points for population concentration, provision of commercial services and offices within walking distance of public transport in order to improve the efficiency of land use, public works, public health, reduce personal motor vehicles, reduce emissions causing environmental pollution, in combination with preserving and promoting cultural values.

TOD area includes stations, urban railway depots, pick-up and drop-off points of other types of large-volume public passenger transport and the vicinity determined according to the relevant zoning planning or detailed planning for the construction of traffic routes, and urban railways combined with urban renovation and beautification, urban development investment.

2. The formulation, decision and management of the planning of the urban railway system, the planning of traffic routes using other large-volume public passenger transport forms and TOD areas shall be subject to the following regulations:

a) On the basis of the Capital Planning and the Capital master plan, the City People's Committee may adjust the use of land zones in the TOD area to operate land banks and added value from land, develop urban railway routes and other forms of public passenger transport, urban development in the TOD area;

b) In the TOD area, the City People's Committee may apply criteria for planning of architecture, technical infrastructure, social infrastructure, requirements for space and land use that differ from the regulations in the national technical standards on construction planning, ensuring compliance with the general planning of the Capital;

c) For areas where the zoning planning or equivalent has been approved, when developing the urban railway route plan, or the transportation route using other forms of public transport, or when developing the TOD area planning, the agency or organization tasked with developing the route plan or the planning that makes a new proposal differing from the approved planning shall submit it to the City People's Committee for consideration and decision. The decision to approve the urban railway route plan or the detailed planning of the TOD area shall serve as a substitute for the content of the local adjustment of the relevant area planning in the approved zoning planning or its equivalent, and it is not required to follow procedures for local adjustment of the previously approved planning project.

3. Prioritize the application of TOD model during investment in the development of urban railways in the City, ensuring modernity, synchronization, sustainability, and adherence to the following regulations:

a) The City People's Council shall decide on the guidelines for investment in the urban railway route projects according to the TOD model in phases; decide on separation of the content of compensation, support, and resettlement into an independent project;

b) The City People's Committee shall decide investment in the urban railway project according to the TOD model, decide investment in or approve investment guidelines for component projects, and decide on investment in projects on land repossession, compensation, support, and resettlement;

c) Contents, procedures, and authority to appraise the projects specified in points a and b of this clause are the same way as those of Group A projects under the authority of the provincial People's Councils in accordance with the law on public investment;

d) The City People's Committee may decide on the selection and application of regulations and standards for the urban railway routes of the City.

4. In a TOD area, the City may collect and utilize 100% of the revenue from the following sources to develop the urban railway system, public transportation system, and technical infrastructure connected to the public passenger transport system:

a) Revenue collected from the increase in construction floor area of civil construction projects due to the increase in land use coefficients and other planning indicators of the TOD area;

b) Revenue from the operation of added value from land in the TOD area;

c) Infrastructure improvement fee.

5. The City People's Council shall stipulate in details the management, operation, and use of urban railways and the TOD area; methods for determining the rate, authority, and procedures for collecting fees for the revenues specified in Clause 4 of this Article, ensuring that there is no overlap with other types of taxes and fees.

Article 32. Agricultural and rural development

1. The development of agriculture in the Capital should be oriented towards ecological and sustainable agriculture, with an emphasis on the interaction between environmental factors and socio-economic aspects to preserve and promote cultural and historical values in agriculture and rural areas; to prevent and combat natural disasters, protect the environment and ecosystems, and create high-quality and safe food products with high economic efficiency.

 Development of concentrated agricultural production areas should be oriented towards sustainability. In concentrated agricultural production areas, it is allowed to use land for multiple purposes, allocate agricultural land for use in the construction of works that directly serve agriculture, processing, preservation, display, product introduction, experiential education, and ecological tourism.

2. The City People's Council shall prescribe the scope, subjects, contents and amounts of support higher than the prescribed amount or not yet specified in documents of superior state agencies in the following cases:

a) Varieties, technology transfer in seed production;

b) Technology for preserving and processing agricultural products;

c) Application of high technology in agricultural production;

d) Development of ecological agriculture, agriculture integrated with tourism, experiential education, and agriculture integrated with commercial and service activities;

dd) Environmental protection activities in the production, preparation, and processing of agricultural products;

e) Development of linkages, value chains, and product consumption markets;

g) Development of collective economy, trade villages, and villages with trades;

h) Provision of training for human resources in the field of high-tech agriculture; startups in the agriculture and rural development field.

3. The City People's Council shall prescribe the following contents:

a) The use and operation of agricultural land banks in river islets along embankment rivers for agricultural production, production of ecological agriculture, agriculture integrated with tourism, and experiential education, which must ensure that the construction on agricultural land in river islets and floating areas along embankment rivers must comply with the flood prevention and management planning of the embankment river, embankment planning, construction planning, and other relevant planning.

b) Conditions and procedures for granting construction permits, types of works, and proportion of agricultural land that can be used for building works on agricultural land directly serving agricultural production, processing, preservation, display, introduction of products, tourism landscape, and experiential education in concentrated agricultural production areas.

4. The City People's Committee shall decide on permitting the use of agricultural land in river islets along embankment rivers, and granting construction permits for works in concentrated agricultural production areas in accordance with the provisions of Clause 3 of this Article.

Article 33. Measures to ensure social order and safety

1. The penalties for administrative violations in the City are subject to the following regulations:

a) The City People's Council shall stipulate a higher fine, but not exceeding twice the general fine set by the Government and not exceeding the maximum fine as prescribed by the law on handling administrative violations for certain corresponding administrative violations in the fields of culture, advertising, land, construction, fire safety, food safety, road traffic, environmental protection, security, social order, and safety in the City;

b) Persons competent to impose fines for administrative violations prescribed by the Government in the fields specified in point a of this clause shall have the authority to impose corresponding penalties with the higher fines determined by the City People's Council for violations in such fields.

2. In cases where it is absolutely necessary to ensure security, social order, and safety in the city, the Chairpersons of the People's Committees at all levels may require cessation of electricity and water supply for the following works, production and business establishments:

a) Construction works that are not in accordance with the planning, construction works without a construction permit in cases where a permit is required, or construction that deviates from the content of the construction permit; construction works that do not comply with the approved construction design in cases where a construction permit is not required;

b) Construction works on land that has been trespassed or appropriated in accordance with the law on land;

c) Construction works that are subject to fire protection design approval but were carried out without any certificate or document concerning the approval of fire protection designs of competent authorities;

d) Construction works that do not comply with the approved fire protection designs.

dd) Construction works, production and business establishments, and services that have not undergone fire safety commissioning but have already been commenced to operate;

e) Karaoke venues and nightclubs that fail to meet the safety conditions for fire protection;

g) Works that are subject to demolition and has been decided to be immediately relocated by competent authorities.

3. Providers of electricity and water services is responsible for ceasing the provision of the services immediately upon request by competent persons specified in Clause 2 of this Article, ensuring compliance with the scope, subjects, and duration. The right to cease the provision of electricity and water services by the service providers in the cases specified in Clause 2 of this Article must be notified to the service users and reflected in the electricity and water service contracts.

4. The City People's Council shall stipulate in detail the cases of application, the authority of application, and the implementation of cessation of the provision of electricity and water services as specified in Clause 2 and Clause 3 of this Article.

Chapter IV

FINANCE, BUDGET AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION FOR CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

Article 34. Finance, budget and resource mobilization for capital development

1. In case the revenue of central government budget increases compared to the estimated revenues distributed between the central government budget and the City budget, 30% of the increase in revenue will be deducted from the central government budget to use as a bonus given to the City budget, provided that the bonus does not exceed the last year’s revenue increase.

2. The dedicated additional funding from the central government budget provided for the City budget is the total increase in revenue of the central government budget from revenues distributed between the central government budget and the City budget in comparison with the estimate allocated by the Prime Minister after the bonus for excess revenues specified in clause 1 of this Article was given and the revenue increase from revenues wholly transferred to the central government budget in the determined area in comparison with the estimate allocated by the Prime Minister, except for the following amounts:

a) VAT on imports;

b) Natural resources tax, corporate income tax, profits distributed to the host country and other revenues from oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities;

c) Non-refundable aid from foreign governments, international organizations, other organizations, and overseas individuals to the Government of Vietnam;

d) Revenue from the sale of public property, including levies on land affixed to property thereon managed by central agencies, organizations and units;

dd) Revenue from property under the State ownership under the management of central agencies, organizations and units;

m) Recovery of investment by central government budget in business organizations; revenues from distributed dividends and profits of joint-stock companies, multi-member limited liability companies that have state capital and ownership of which is represented by a Ministry, ministerial agency, Governmental agency, or another central regulatory agency; revenues from post-tax profit that remains after making contributions to various funds of state-owned enterprises whose ownership is represented by a Ministry, ministerial agency, Governmental agency, or another central regulatory agency; positive difference between revenue and expenditure of the State bank of Vietnam;

g) revenues from central financial reserve fund;

h) Revenues from surplus of central government budget;

i) Revenues carried over from last year’s budget of central government budget;

k) Revenues that are not assigned to the City for collection management, do not arise in the City area but are only accounted for and paid in the City;

l) Revenues authorized for use by a competent authority for specific spending objectives;

m) Amounts recorded as revenues or expenses in an accounting book and revenues retained for use by city-governed entities which are administered through the state budget in accordance with applicable laws.

3. The dedicated additional funding from the central government budget and allocated to the City budget specified in clause 2 of this Article shall not exceed the total increase in revenue of central government budget in the area compared to the previous year's revenue and ensure that there is not any shortfall in the revenue of the central government budget. The dedicated additional amount is determined on the basis of the sum of revenues, not counting each revenue separately.

4. The City People's Council may decide on the application of a number of charges and fees not yet specified in the List of charges and fees enclosed with the Law on Fees and Charges in the City; adjust amounts or rates of charges and fees already decided by competent authorities for charges and fees specified in the List of charges and fees enclosed with the Law on Fees and Charges, except for court costs and fees and charges and fees that are wholly transferred to the central government budget.

The collection of charges and fees in the city specified in this Clause must be based on a roadmap; be in accordance with the city's development capabilities and requirements; create a favourable production and business environment for enterprises, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, industries and trades eligible for investment incentives; do not cause negativity, affect social security, social order and safety; ensure the consistency of the market, do not obstruct the circulation of goods and services; be reasonably regulated for a number of goods, services and lawful sources of income of organizations and individuals in the city; ensure publicity, transparency and state administrative reform.

5. The City may retain 100% of the total additional revenue come from the adjustment of charge and fee policies specified in Clause 4 of this Article for investment in the development of socio-economic infrastructure and expenditures on economic, scientific and technological activities, environmental protection, education, health, culture, sports and social security, social welfare which must be covered by the City budget retained in its budget; these revenues shall not be used to determine the distribution ratio (%) of revenues of the central government budget to the City budget.

6. The City People's Committee may apply for loans through the issuance of local government bonds, loans from domestic financial institutions, other domestic organizations, foreign loans on-lent by the Government to the City and bonds issued by the Government with a total outstanding loan not exceeding 120% of the retained City budget revenues.

The City People's Committee is responsible for fully and punctually performing obligations related to on-lending.

Annually, in the course of servicing the state budget, the City People's Council shall decide in detail loan amounts, domestic loans, foreign loans on-lent by the Government to the City, and bonds issued by the Government, which must be limited to the total loan amount and the amount of the City budget deficit already decided by the National Assembly and allocated by the Prime Minister.

In case it is necessary to mobilize loans greater than 120% of the retained City budget revenues for the implementation of the City's key projects, the City People's Committee shall submit a report to the Government for consideration and submission to the National Assembly for decision.

7. The City may wholly retain the revenue that is supposed to be transferred to the central government budget according to the proportion of land levy and land rent revenues under the management of the City in order to facilitate relocation of agencies, units and establishments on the list of establishments subject to relocation specified in Clause 3, Article 18 of this Law and support the implementation of key projects of the Capital.

8. Revenues from carbon credit transactions from programs and projects under the carbon credit exchanging and offsetting mechanism using the City budget are wholly retained City budget revenues; these revenues shall not be used to determine the distribution ratio (%) of revenues of the central government budget to the City budget.

Article 35. Use of financial and budget resources for the development of the Capital

1. The City People's Council may perform the following tasks and exercise powers:

a) Decide on the use of funds for salary reform in surplus after sufficient funds have been raised for the wage reform for the whole budget stabilization period as prescribed by competent authorities and social policy, social security and social welfare expenditures set by central authorities have been met to pay for additional incomes of officials and public employees as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 15 of this Law; the total expenditure shall not exceed 0,8 times the base salary fund of officials and public employees under the management of the City;

b) Decide on the use of funds for wage reform in surplus of the city budget and permission of the subordinate budgets to use the surplus wage reform funds to invest in the development of socio-economic infrastructure which is covered by the local government budgets at all levels, pay for additional incomes of officials and public employees under the management of the City according to the provisions of Point a, Clause 1 of this Article and social policies, social security and social welfare after sufficient funds for wage reform have been raised for the whole budget stabilization period;

c) Decide on the use of the City budget to support relocation, new construction, and land allocation for subjects that are included in the list of subjects subject to relocation specified in Clause 3, Article 18 of this Law and have received relocation decisions or voluntarily relocate;

d) Decide on the use of the City budget to support central agencies in performing the tasks of socio-economic development, national defense, security, social order and safety in the City, support other divisions in the country or other countries in case of necessity; permit district-level administrative divisions to use their budgets to support other district-level administrative divisions of the City and district-level administrative divisions of other provinces and central-affiliated cities in the prevention, control and remedy of consequences of natural disasters and epidemics, execution of national target programs and performance of social security and social welfare tasks;

dd) Decide on the use of the City budget for the implementation of investment projects, works and projects of the nature of regional association and development between the Capital and other divisions, projects on national highways and expressways passing through the City in accordance with the planning;

e) Prescribe regulations, standards and norms of expenditures covered by the City budget higher than the prescribed level or not yet specified in documents of superior state agencies in order to perform the tasks of socio-economic development, ensure the implementation of social policies, social security, social welfare, national defense, security, social order and safety of the Capital in accordance with the balancing capacity of the City budget.

2. The City People's Committee shall decide to advance money from the City’s Financial Reserve Fund for the implementation of investment projects already included in the medium-term public investment plan, for which decisions on approval have been issued and covered by the City budget in case it is necessary to accelerate the implementation progress; propose to the City People's Council to decide on the allocation of public investment capital estimates from the annual City budget for these projects to recover the advanced amounts for the Financial Reserve Fund in accordance with law.

The maximum advance period for each amount from the Financial Reserve Fund is 36 months from the date of advance payment; total advances at a time must not exceed 50% of the balance of the Financial Reserve Fund as of December 31 of the previous year.

3. Agencies, organizations and units using the state budget under the management of the City may use the recurrent expenditures according to the process and procedures applicable to the recurrent expenditures in accordance with state budget laws to execute projects for upgrading, renovating, expanding and building new items in existing public facilities, works and property; formulate, appraise and approve urban planning, construction planning, and architectural management regulations under the responsibility of the City People's Committee and district-level People's Committees of the City.

4. Public service providers under the management of the City may use the public service development funds for procurement and repair in order to maintain the regular operation of public service provides according to the process and procedures applicable to recurrent expenditures in accordance with state budget laws.

5. The City People's Committee shall elaborate the use of funds and expenditures specified in Clauses 3 and 4 of this Article.

Article 36. Venture capital using the state budget

1. Hanoi city is allowed to pilot establishment a venture capital fund using the state budget to invest capital in high-tech enterprises, science and technology enterprises, and startups in key fields of science and technology of the Capital in order to support and promote innovation and commercialization of scientific and technological products.

The venture capital fund is allocated charter capital from the City budget, granted financial support and other lawful capital sources in accordance with law. The management and use of capital sources of the Venture capital fund shall be carried out in a manner that is in accordance with the principles of the market, accepts risk capability, ensures publicity, transparency, efficiency, and prevention of capital loss and waste.

2. The City People's Committee shall formulate a scheme on the establishment of a Venture capital fund and submit it to the City People's Council for approval, clearly defining the form of operation of the Fund; the Fund's operating time; the amount of charter capital support from the City budget; investment methods, objects of cooperation and receipt of investment capital; mechanisms for assessing and controlling risks and responsibilities of agencies, organizations and individuals in the management and operation of the City's Venture Capital Fund.

3. The City People's Council shall approve the scheme, stipulate the mechanism for operation of the Venture Capital Fund, the responsibility for inspecting, supervising and reporting on the implementation results. The City People's Committee shall decide on the establishment of the Fund, promulgate the charter and investment regulations of the Venture Capital Fund.

Article 37. Investment competence

1. The key project of the Capital is a large-scale project, which has the role of creating motivation, spread, and connection to implement the objectives, tasks and solutions for socio-economic development and environmental protection of the Capital, which is of great significance to the socio-economic development of the Capital and divisions engaged in regional association and development with the Capital and the whole country. The City People's Council shall decide on the list of key projects of the Capital.

2. The People's Council of Ho Chi Minh City shall decide on investment guidelines for public investment projects, PPP investment projects (hereinafter referred to as PPP projects) under its competence in accordance with the law on public investment, the law on PPP investment; and the following public investment projects and PPP projects do not use central government budget capital in the City:

a) Urban railway projects and urban railway projects under the TOD model whose total investment capital is not limited, including cases of land use requiring repurposing of wet rice cultivation land for 02 crops or more with a scale of 500 hectares or more, and migration for resettlement of 50.000 people or more;

b) Public investment projects and PPP projects whose total investment capital is not limited, except for the projects specified at Point a of this Clause; projects that have a great impact on the environment or have the potential to seriously affect the environment under the competence of the National Assembly to decide on investment guidelines; top secret defense and security projects, projects on production of toxic substances and explosives under the competence of the Prime Minister to decide on investment guidelines.

3. The City People's Council shall decide on investment guidelines for public investment projects and PPP projects in the City using central government budget capital, ODA capital and concessional loans of foreign countries under the competence of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister to decide on investment guidelines in case of being assigned by the National Assembly and the Prime Minister; decide on the adjustment of investment guidelines that have been decided by the National Assembly and the Prime Minister for public investment projects and PPP projects and assign the City People's Committee to act as the managing agency for project implementation if it does not make the investment capital from the central government budget, ODA capital and concessional loans of foreign countries increase.

4. The City People's Committee shall approve investment guidelines for projects in accordance with the Law on Investment, the Law on Hi-Tech and the following projects:

a) Investment projects to build housing for sale, lease, lease-purchase, urban areas with a land use scale of between 300 hectares and less than 500 hectares or a population scale of 50.000 people or more, except for projects for which investment guideline approval come within the National Assembly's competence;

b) Investment projects to build and trade infrastructure of industrial parks, export processing zones and hi-tech parks.

5. The City People's Committee shall decide on investment in public investment projects, approve PPP projects whose investment guidelines have been decided by the City People's Council as specified in Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article; decide on the selection and application of domestic and foreign technical standards and regulations; prescribe standards, regulations, economic-technical norms, cost norms, unit prices and prices of public services funded by the state budget in the domains, implementation methods, and payment methods different from regulations or not yet specified in documents of superior state agencies in accordance with the actual situation, characteristics and needs for construction and development of the Capital; organize the appraisal and approval of the results of appraisal of environmental impact assessment reports, grant of environmental licenses for projects under the competence of the City People's Committee to decide on investment and investment guideline approval.

6. The City People's Council shall elaborate the order and procedures for deciding on investment guidelines and investment guideline approval for projects specified in Clauses 2, 3 and 4 of this Article; the order and procedures for implementation specified in Clause 5 of this Article.

Article 38. Separation of compensation, support and resettlement contents into independent projects

1. Competent state agencies of the City shall, when deciding on investment guidelines for projects specified in Clauses 2 and 3, Article 37 of this Law, overall projects with the scale of group-B and group-C projects in accordance with the law on public investment, have the right to decide on the separation of compensation, support and resettlement contents into independent projects; decide on the objectives, scale, total investment, structure of capital sources and investment locations of compensation, support and resettlement projects.

2. Based on the investment guideline of an overall project, a competent state agency of the city shall decide on the investment in a compensation, support and resettlement project.

The investment decision is the basis for allocating capital for the annual public investment plan, and is also the basis for the competent state agency of the City to issue a notice of land repossession and a decision on land repossession.

In case the adjustment of the compensation, support or resettlement project arises factors leading to the adjustment of investment guideline of the overall project, the competent agency of the City shall adjust the investment guideline of the overall project before the Chairperson of the competent People's Committee adjusts the compensation, support and resettlement project. The adjustment of the investment guideline of the overall project and the adjustment of the compensation, support and resettlement project shall comply with the provisions of this Law, the law on public investment and other relevant laws.

3. The order and procedures for implementation of compensation, support and resettlement projects specified in Clause 1 of this Article shall comply with the criteria, order and procedures for public investment projects in accordance with the law on public investment.

Article 39. Implementation of PPP investment projects

1. The public-private partnership method shall be applied to projects in the field of culture and sports in the City. The minimum total investment scale for PPP investment projects in the field of culture and sports shall comply with the provisions of the law on PPP investment in the fields of health, education and training.

The order and procedures for implementation of projects specified in this Clause shall comply with the law on PPP investment and other relevant laws. The Government of Vietnam shall elaborate this clause.

2. The City People's Council may consider deciding on the rise in the ratio of state capital involved in a PPP project limited to 70% of the total investment of the project in case the cost of compensation for ground clearance accounts for more than 50% of the total investment of the project and the preliminary financial plan of the PPP project does not ensure capital recovery.

Article 40. Implementation of build - transfer contracts

1. A build-transfer contract (hereinafter referred to as BT contract) means a contract signed between a competent agency and an investor or project enterprise (if any) for construction of an infrastructure work and transfer such work to a competent agency after completion; the investor shall receive a payment from the state budget or a land bank as the payment.

2. The City People's Council shall decide on the investment guideline of a PPP investment project under a BT contract in the field of transportation, irrigation, drainage, or wastewater treatment with a minimum total investment of not less than VND 200 billion, in a manner that ensures publicity, transparency, socio-economic efficiency, quality of project works, and does not cause loss of state capital and property.

3. The competence, order and procedures related to BT contracts are prescribed as follows:

a) The competence, order and procedures for project implementation, project payment and settlement and inspection, examination and audit of projects under BT contracts funded by the state budget shall comply with the provisions of this Law, the law on public investment and the law on construction. Investors in projects under BT contracts funded by the state budget shall be selected after the technical design (for 3-step design works) or basic design (for 02-step design works) is approved;

b) The competence, order and procedures for project implementation, project payment and settlement and inspection, examination and audit of projects under BT contracts that are paid for by land bartering shall comply with the provisions of this Law, the law on PPP investment and the law on construction. Investors in projects under BT contracts that are paid for by land bartering shall be selected after the feasibility study report is approved;

c) The competence, order and procedures for selecting investors in projects specified at Points a and b of this Clause shall be the same as in PPP projects in accordance with the law on PPP investment.

4. BT contracts with payment by the state budget shall comply with the following provisions:

a) BT contracts with payment by the state budget shall be applied to projects to apply high technologies on the list of prioritized high technologies in accordance with the law on high technologies, projects to apply advanced, new and clean technologies on the list of technologies encouraged in transfer or projects with a shorter implementation period than public investment projects of similar scale and technical characteristics;

b) The selected investors must have qualifications to meet the technical requirements and propose the lowest total payment value;

c) The City People's Council shall decide on the use of the city budget, allocation of capital for investment preparation, annual budget estimates and allocation of public investment capital in the City's medium-term and annual public investment plans for payment to investors after the independently operated works or work items are completed and accepted in a manner that ensures the schedule specified in BT contracts.

Competent agencies and agencies signing project contracts are responsible for supervising the quality of works under BT contracts during the investors' implementation;

d) Investment guidelines of projects shall only be decided when projects’ funding sources and capital balancing capability are determined. The total investment of an investment project under a BT contract is determined as for a project using public investment capital in accordance with the law on construction. Interest expenses after the construction period and reasonable profits shall be included in the total project investment.

5. BT contracts with payment by land banks shall comply with the following provisions:

a) Land banks used for payment to investors shall be land managed by the State's agencies or organizations or repossessed in accordance with the law on land in which priority is given to land banks in the vicinity of investment works under BT contracts, thereby ensuring the promotion of land bank value, not causing loss and waste, ensuring the harmony of interests of the State and investors;

b) Investors who have qualifications to meet technical, financial-commercial requirements and have the highest aggregate score shall be selected in the same bidding organized by the City People's Committee to simultaneously invest in the construction of works under BT contracts and reciprocal projects using land;

c) Investors shall be allocated land for the implementation of reciprocal projects after commencing construction, completing at least 50% of the value of works under BT contracts, and fulfilling the responsibility for capital advance for compensation, support and resettlement (if applicable) as prescribed in the BT contracts. Reciprocal projects using land may only be traded and operated after works under BT contracts have been completed and transferred to competent agencies for operation.

6. The Government of Vietnam shall elaborate this Article.

Article 41. Management and use of public property and operation of infrastructure works

1. Agencies and organizations that are being assigned to manage and use works and work items that are public property specified in Clause 2 of this Article in the City may sign operation and management concession contracts with investors and enterprises to operate works and work items for a certain period of time.

2. Infrastructure works and items granted operation and management concessions include:

a) Cultural and sports infrastructure works and items;

b) Valuable architectural works.

3. The management council of a public service provider under the management of the City, the National Innovation Center or the head of a public service provider in case there is no management council may decide on the use of public property under the management of the City for business, lease, joint venture or association purposes in cases of using public property to provide services for high-tech activities, shared equipment, spaces for working, research, incubation, testing and technology demonstration in order to support high-tech activities, develop an innovation and start-up ecosystem or in cases prescribed by law on management and use of public property in conformity with their functions and tasks.

4. The City People's Council shall:

a) Decide on the list of works and work items specified in Clause 2 of this Article under the management of the City that are granted operation and management concessions; prescribe the principles, conditions, contents, financial mechanism, order and procedures for concession of operation and management of works and work items under the management of the City; principles, conditions, contents, financial mechanisms, order and procedures for formulation, consultation and decision on schemes on use of public property under the management of the City for business, lease, joint venture and association purposes;

b) Prescribe measures to protect, preserve and repair works and work items under the management of the City during the period of concession of management and business, lease, joint venture or association.

5. Ministers, heads of ministerial agencies and other central agencies shall decide on the list of works and work items under the management of their agencies granted operation and management concessions; prescribe principles, conditions, contents, financial mechanism, order, procedures and measures to protect, manage, use and operate works and work items subject to operation and management concessions specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

6. The Minister of Planning and Investment shall prescribe principles, conditions, contents and financial mechanism, order and procedures for formulation, consultation and decision on schemes on use of public property for business, lease, joint venture or association purposes specified in Clause 3 of this Article for the National Innovation Center.

Article 42. Attracting strategic investors

1. The list of industries and trades given priority over attracting strategic investors of the Capital includes:

a) Investment in building satellite cities; develop urban railways, interregional and intraregional public transport; developing high-tech parks, treating environmental pollution;

b) Manufacturing of semiconductor integrated circuits, components, integrated circuits (ICs), printed electronics (PE), semiconductor chips, batteries with new technologies, new materials, new energy, clean energy, renewable energy, development and manufacturing of systems of locomotives, wagons, signal information, railway control, control of urban traffic, smart city, and high-tech agriculture;

c) Development of innovation centers, research and development (R&D) centers; research and support of high-tech transfer in the fields of information technology, biotechnology, automation technology, new material and clean energy technology.

2. A strategic investor is an investor who fully meets the following conditions:

a) Implementing an investment project on the list specified in Clause 1 of this Article;

b) Being able to prove the capacity in terms of finance, technology and project investment experience in a similar field with investment equivalent to that of the project attracting the strategic investor;

c) Making a written commitment on training and development of human resources, localization, commitment to implement the investment project on target according to the list of industries and trades given priority over attracting strategic investors of the Capital; meeting the requirements of national defense, security and environmental protection in accordance with Vietnamese law.

3. Based on the projects on the list of industries and trades specified in Clause 1 of this Article, the investor or competent state agency shall propose the investment project. The competence, order and procedures for deciding on investment and approval of investment guidelines shall comply with the provisions of this Law, the law on investment, the law on public investment, and the law on PPP investment.

4. For investment projects that are not subject to investor selection procedures under the Law on Investment, investment projects subject to investment guideline approval for which competent authorities approves both investment guidelines and investors without LUR auctions and projects that are subject to bidding for selection of investors in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Investment, the bidding for selection of strategic investors implementing projects specified in Clause 1 of this Article, the following order and procedures shall be followed:

a) Based on decisions to approve project investment guidelines specified in Clause 3 of this Article, competent investment registration agencies of the City shall disclose the project information, preliminary requirements on the investors' qualifications and conditions for identification of strategic investors on the Vietnam National E-Procurement System;

b) Based on the information disclosed at Point a of this Clause, investors shall prepare and submit project implementation registration dossiers. An investor's project implementation registration dossier includes the project implementation registration document; dossiers on the legal status and qualifications of the investor; documents proving the satisfaction of the conditions specified in Clause 2 of this Article and other relevant documents (if any);

c) Upon the expiration of the time limit for project implementation registration, competent investment registration agencies of the City shall conduct preliminary assessments of qualifications of investors who have submitted project implementation registration dossiers. Based on the results of the preliminary assessments of qualifications, the City People's Committee shall decide on the implementation in one of the cases specified at Points d, dd and e of this Clause;

d) In case there is only 01 investor registering and satisfying the preliminary requirements on qualifications or there are multiple investors who have registered but there is only 01 investor satisfying the preliminary requirements on qualifications, such investor shall be approved in accordance with the law on investment;

dd) In case there are 02 or more investors meeting the preliminary requirements on qualifications, among which only 01 investor is identified as meeting the conditions for strategic investors specified at Point a of this Clause, such investor shall be approved in accordance with the law on investment;

e) In case there are 02 or more investors meeting the preliminary requirements on qualifications, among which at least 02 investors are identified as meeting the conditions for strategic investors specified at Point a of this Clause, bidding laws shall be applicable to select an investor from among those identified as meeting conditions for strategic investors.

g) The City People's Committee shall elaborate the form of information disclosure of projects attracting strategic investors, including preliminary requirements on the qualifications of investors; project implementation registration dossiers.

5. Strategic investors selected according to the order and procedures specified in Clause 4 of this Article to implement investment projects on the list of industries and trades given priority over attracting strategic investors specified in Clause 1 of this Article shall be entitled to investment incentives specified in Clause 5, Article 43 of this Law.

6. In the course of implementation, strategic investors who fail to meet the conditions in terms of funding, disbursement schedule, and other conditions for strategic investors and fail to fulfil their commitments to the City shall not be entitled to the incentives specified in this Law. Strategic investors, individuals or business organizations implementing investment projects are jointly responsible for compensating the City for the amounts received as incentives in excess to those received by other investors, and must also bear responsibility under the law for any consequences arising from their failure to fulfil their commitments.

7. The City People's Council shall elaborate Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article in accordance with the development requirements of the Capital.

Article 43. Investment incentives

1. The investment projects in the City that are entitled to incentives include:

a) New investment projects in the field of sports and cultural industries including advertising, architecture, software, entertainment games, handicrafts, design, cinema, publishing, fashion, performing arts, fine arts, photography and exhibitions, television and radio, cultural tourism, and culinary culture as detailed in the list decided by the City People's Committee;

b) Investment projects aiming to establish new preschool education institutions, high-quality educational institutions, institutions with multiple levels of education; preschool education institutions, general education institutions in economically and socially disadvantaged areas; training institutions for people with disabilities and children in difficult circumstances;

c) Investment projects aiming to establish new high-quality, modern heath facilities; health facilities in economically and socially disadvantaged areas;

d) Projects to invest in non-public social assistance facilities, voluntary drug rehabilitation centers, and providers of voluntary drug rehabilitation services for families and communities;

dd) Projects aimed at high technology, information technology, innovation, and startup in key fields of science and technology of the Capital.

e) Projects to use advanced and high technology in the field of environment, climate change response, waste and wastewater treatment; projects to build high-tech agricultural areas, high-tech agricultural projects, and projects aiming at development of traditional craft villages.

2. Investors in projects specified in points a, b, c, d, and e of Clause 1 of this Article shall be given the following incentives:

a) Exemption from land rent and water surface rent for 10 years and a 50% reduction in land rent and water surface rent for the remaining period.

 Startups, scientific and technological organizations, and start-up assistance organizations shall be entitled to a 50% reduction in rent for production and business premises at the innovation centers of the City;

b) Application of a corporate income tax rate of 5%, exemption from the corporate income tax for a period of 4 years and a 50% reduction in the income tax payable for the following 9 years.

The corporate income tax exemption or reduction period when implementing a new investment project specified in this clause shall be calculated from the first year of taxable income from the investment project.

3. Enterprises engaged in innovative activities and startups in key fields of science and technology of the Capital shall be given the following incentives:

a) Exemption from corporate income tax for a period of 05 years after starting to have taxable income from the innovative activities of startups, scientific and technological organizations, innovation centers, and start-up assistance organizations in the City;

b) Exemption from personal income tax and corporate income tax for individuals and organizations with incomes coming from the conveyance of capital contributions and rights to contribute capital to innovative startups in the City;

c) Exemption from certain evaluation criteria for applications for prequalification, bids, and proposals regarding qualifications of contractors participating in bidding for packages of the City, including requirements related to revenue, financial resources, similar contracts, and other requirements to align with the characteristics of innovative startups.

When evaluating and ranking bids and proposals, contractors that are startups operating within the City shall be granted incentives similar to those given to contractors supplying goods with at least 25% domestic production costs, in accordance with the provisions of the law on bidding; methods of incentive calculation shall comply with regulations of law;

d) Exemption from personal income tax for a period of 05 years for incomes coming from salaries and wages of experts, scientists, individuals with special talents, and individuals starting innovative businesses working at startups, scientific and technological organizations, innovation centers, and start-up assistance organizations in the City.

4. Organizations and individuals investing in projects specified in point d Clause 1 of this Article shall be given the following incentives:

a) Exemption from land levies upon establishment, exemption from enterprise income tax for incomes coming from activities of non-public social assistance facilities, voluntary drug rehabilitation centers, and voluntary home and community drug rehabilitation service providers;

b) Loan interest rate support for the first 05 years of establishment as prescribed by the City People's Council;

c) Donations and sponsorships from organizations and enterprises for consulting and disseminating drug prevention, drug rehabilitation, developing new models for drug rehabilitation, post-rehabilitation management, and incentive funds for enterprises, organizations, and individuals with achievements in drug prevention work shall be considered as legitimate expenses of enterprises when accounting.

Donations and sponsorships from individuals for consulting and disseminating drug prevention, drug rehabilitation, developing new models for drug rehabilitation, post-rehabilitation management, and incentive funds for organizations, and individuals with achievements in drug prevention work shall be reduced from their incomes before tax calculation for individuals residing in the City.

5. Strategic investors selected in accordance with the provisions of Article 42 of this Law shall be given the following incentives:

a) Exemption from land rent and water surface rent for 10 years and a 50% reduction in land rent and water surface rent for the remaining period for individuals and business organizations implementing investment projects in cases specified in points b and c of clause 1, Article 42 of this Law;

b) Being given priority over customs procedures in accordance with customs laws and tax procedures in accordance with tax laws for exported and imported goods of investment projects implemented by strategic investors in the City when meeting the conditions for priority in accordance with customs and tax laws, except for the conditions regarding export and import turnover;

c) Support for development of human resources; infrastructure and social infrastructure works; provision of funding support for high-tech products; research and development;

d) Other incentives and support decided by the City People's Council to meet the urgent requirements in attracting strategic investors.

6. Organizations and individuals investing in the construction of underground parking lots and multi-storey parking buildings shall be entitled to the following incentives:

a) Exemption from land rents and levies on underground space for the entire duration of project implementation;

b) Support for 100% of import duty payable on equipment and lines directly serving projects to build underground parking lots and multi-storey parking buildings using high technology;

c) Being allowed to use a maximum of 25% of the GFA of the projects according to the planning for investment and operation of parking services;

d) Loan interest rate support for the first 05 years as prescribed by the City People's Council.

Chapter V

REGIONAL ASSOCIATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Article 44. Objectives and principles for regional association and development

1. Hanoi City and provinces and central-affiliated cities within the Capital, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region and the Northern dynamic region shall bear responsibilities for association and development according to programs and projects in accordance with the country's socio-economic development strategy and the national planning system.

The Capital - Hanoi is the center and driving force for connectivity and development, serving as the growth pole of the Capital region, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region, the Northern dynamic region, and the entire country.

2. The regional association and development between Hanoi city and provinces and central-affiliated cities within the Capital region, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region and the Northern dynamic region must ensure the following principles:

a) Comply with the Constitution, the Capital Law and laws and resolutions of the National Assembly related to mechanisms and policies on socio-economic development and assurance of national defense and security of the region;

b) Achieve consensus and equality, be public and transparent;

c) Cooperate in development through plans, programs and projects on regional association and development approved by competent agencies;

d) Take charge in implementation of plans, programs and projects assigned to divisions with relevant tasks and powers or being worst affected in the fields and tasks in need of cooperation and association.

Article 45. Programs and projects for regional association and development

1. Programs and projects for regional association and development are programs and projects implemented in the area of two or more provinces or central-affiliated cities, including Hanoi city, listed in the national master plan, national sector planning, with large scale, playing a role in creating momentum, spreading influence, and connecting socio-economic development for the Capital region, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region, and the Northern dynamic region.

2. The proposal for programs and projects for regional association and development shall be made as follows:

a) The People's Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities concerned shall submit reports to the People's Councils of the same level for consideration and agreement on the implementation of regional association and development programs and projects, and propose to assign one provincial People's Committee to act as the governing body implementing the programs and projects, and to be responsible for the implementation of the programs and projects;

b) Based on the written consensus of the People's Council of Hanoi city and the People's Councils of relevant divisions, the People's Committee of Hanoi city on behalf of the divisions shall submit reports to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on assigning 01 provincial People's Committee to act as the governing body implementing the programs and projects.

Article 46. Investment capital sources for programs and projects for regional association and development

1. Priority is given to the allocation of central government budget and local government budgets to implement programs and projects for regional association and development using the state budget, including:

a) The central government budget will fully or partially fund programs and projects for regional association and development, ensuring that the proportion of the central government budget funding is not lower than that of the local government budgets;

b) Priority is given to allocation of the additional revenues for the central government budget for provinces and central-affiliated cities within the Capital region, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region and the Northern dynamic region, ensuring that programs and projects for regional association and development will be invested before other programs, tasks and projects.

In case there is a funding source of the central government budget allocated to a program or project for regional association and development of which the project developer is a local authority, the competent authority shall provide targeted funding for the Provincial People’s Committee assigned to act as the governing body implementing the program or project for implementation.

2. Priority is given to mobilizing ODA funding and concessional loans from foreign donors to implement regional association and development programs and projects.

3. In necessary cases, the People's Councils of provinces and central-affiliated cities where programs and projects for regional association and development are implemented will reach an agreement on the use of local government budgets for mutual support for implementing programs and projects for regional association and development within their local government budgets.

4. Priority is given to the inclusion of programs and projects for regional association and development in the investment solicitation project list of national investment promotion programs.

5. Programs and projects for regional association and development that are fully funded from sources of capital outside the state budget shall be given incentives as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 43 of this Law.

6. The Prime Minister shall decide on the list of programs and projects for regional association and development funded from the central budget stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article at the request of the Hanoi city People's Committee.

Article 47. Responsibilities of ministries, central and local authorities for participating in programs and projects on regional association and development

1. The administration of Hanoi city and local governments of provinces and central-affiliated cities participating in programs and projects on association and development of the Capital region, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region and the Northern dynamic region shall have the following responsibilities:

a) Coordinate and mobilize financial resources for the implementation of programs and projects on regional association and development; ensure the allocation of capital and organize the implementation of these programs and projects according to the approved schedule; manage and maintain works of these programs and projects after they have been completed and put into use in their respective divisions; 

b) Prioritize the allocation of local government budgets and central government budgets for the implementation of programs and projects on regional association and development in their respective divisions.

2. The administration of Hanoi city shall take charge and cooperate with provinces and central-affiliated cities of the Capital region, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region and the Northern dynamic region in proposing and implementing programs and projects on regional association and development in each field.

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take charge and cooperate with local authorities in requesting the Government to propose to the National Assembly to ensure the balance of the budget for the implementation of programs and projects on regional association and development between Hanoi city and provinces and central-affiliated cities in the Capital region, the Red River Delta, the Northern key economic region, the Northern dynamic region.

Chapter VI

SUPERVISION, INSPECTION AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONSTRUCTION, DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF THE CAPITAL

Article 48. Responsibilities of the National Assembly, agencies of the National Assembly, delegations of National Assembly deputies and National Assembly deputies

1. The National Assembly shall decide on the specific budget for the Capital specified in Clause 6, Article 34 of this Law; supreme supervision of the implementation and consider the Government's reports on the implementation of the Capital Law every 3 years.

2. The Nationality Council and Committees of the National Assembly, during the course of verifying the draft laws and draft resolutions of the National Assembly, shall consider and give comments on the specific determination of the implementation or non-implementation of the provisions of the Capital Law, the implementation of the provisions of such draft laws and draft resolutions.

3. The Standing Committee of the National Assembly, the Nationality Council, Committees of the National Assembly, the delegations of National Assembly deputies and National Assembly deputies shall, within the scope of their tasks and powers, supervise the implementation of the Capital Law.

4. In case of necessity, the National Assembly and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly shall request the City People's Committee to submit reports on the implementation of the Capital Law.

Article 49. Responsibilities of Government and the Prime Minister

1. The Government shall:

a) Promulgate or amend mechanisms and policies within its competence to solve inadequacies arising in the practice of construction, development, management and protection of the Capital; consider and decide on the decentralization and authorization of the City People's Council and the City People's Committee to perform tasks and powers within the Government's competence in addition to the tasks and powers specified in this Law;

b) Guide and inspect the implementation of the Capital laws; handle violations in accordance with law;

c) Direct ministries, ministerial-level agencies, governmental agencies and provincial-level People's Committees to coordinate with the People's Committees of the City and provinces and central-affiliated cities engaged in regional association and development activities with the Capital to comply with the Capital laws; review, promote decentralization and authorization for implementation of tasks and powers in accordance with the management capacity of the City;

d) Submit reports to the National Assembly on the results of the implementation of the Capital Law every 03 years.

2. The Prime Minister shall:

a) Consider deciding on decentralizing or authorizing the City People's Committee to perform tasks and powers within its competence in accordance with the City's management capacity;

b) Direct ministries and ministerial-level agencies to cooperate with the City People's Committee in simplifying and shortening the internal procedures between agencies and administrative procedures, and handling problems in the process of implementing the Capital laws;

c) Annually, work with the People's Committees of the City, provinces and centrally-run cities engaged in regional association and development activities with the Capital and relevant ministries and branches to assess the results of law enforcement on the Capital.

Article 50. Responsibilities of ministries, ministerial agencies and government agencies

1. Take charge and cooperate with the City administration in formulating strategies for sector development, sector planning, and formulating legislative documents with contents related to the construction, development, management and protection of the Capital; consider and decide to devolve or authorize the City People's Committee, other relevant agencies and administrative organizations under the City People's Committee to perform tasks and powers within their competence in addition to the tasks and powers specified in this Law.

2. When drafting laws and resolutions of the National Assembly, ministries and ministerial agencies are responsible for reviewing and comparing with the provisions of the Capital Law, specifying the contents to be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Capital Law or the contents to be implemented under such laws and resolutions. Agencies in charge of appraising and verifying drafts shall consider and comment on this content in drafts.

3. Direct, guide, examine and inspect contents under the state management of their ministries and central authorities; settle according to their competence or report to competent authorities to settle issues arising during the implementation and monitoring of the implementation of laws related to sectors and fields.

4. Actively cooperate with the City People’s Committee when executing the programs and investment projects in the capital in order to ensure the uniform management according to the planning.

5. Strictly comply with the responsibility to relocate their headquarters according to the Prime Minister's decision.

Article 51. Responsibilities of provinces and central-affiliated cities engaged in regional association and development with the Capital

1. Formulate programs and plans to cooperate with relevant ministries, ministerial agencies, governmental agencies and provinces and cities engaged in regional association and development with the capital in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

2. Cooperate with relevant Ministries, ministerial agencies and governmental agencies and provinces and cities engaged in regional association and development with the Capital in researching and proposing key projects and programs of the Capital, key projects and programs for regional association and development.

3. Balance capital resources of local government budgets to implement key socio-economic infrastructure works and projects on regional association and development in their divisions.

4. Formulate, provide and update information and data on the results of the performance of socio-economic development tasks in accordance with the provisions of this Law and publish information on key sectors and fields of provinces and cities engaged in regional association and development with the Capital; cooperate in formulating plans for cooperation between divisions in each program or project on regional association and development specified in Article 45 of this Law.

5. Promulgate mechanisms and policies to improve the investment and business environment, measures to encourage and support economic sectors and attract enterprises to invest in key programs and projects of the Capital, key programs and projects on regional association and development.

6. Coordinate in supervising, examining and inspecting the implementation of regulations on regional association and development.

Article 52. Responsibilities of agencies, organizations and people of the Capital

1. Build and develop a civilized, modern and typical capital for the whole country.

2. Proactively and actively expand friendly relations and cooperation with capitals of other countries, take advantage of external resources to build and develop the Capital; strengthen people-to-people diplomacy, enable agencies, organizations and people of the Capital to participate in international exchange and cooperation in the fields of economy, culture - society, education, science and technology.

3. The People's Councils, the People’s Committees and the Chairpersons of the People’s Committees at all levels of the City, within their competence, shall:

a) promptly promulgate documents elaborating articles, clauses and points assigned in the Capital Law, providing measures to organize implementation of the Capital Law within their competence;

b) urge, inspect, supervise the implementation provisions of the Capital Law under their management and be responsible for violations and weaknesses occurring during the construction, development, management and protection of the Capital;

c) be public, transparent and strengthen accountability in the course of implementing this Law; to ensure the rights of citizens, officials, public employees and employees to know, participate in giving opinions, decide, inspect and supervise the implementation of this Law;

d) organize and ensure the implementation of Capital laws; decide on issues of the City within their jurisdiction in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other relevant laws.

dd) strengthen inspection and supervision of the performance of tasks and powers of the People's Committees of wards and the Chairpersons of the People's Committees of wards to ensure the requirements for power control.

4. The City People's Council shall, under their competence, be responsible for complying with the provisions of clauses 1, 2 and 3 of this Article and the following tasks and powers:

a) Supervise the implementation of the Capital Law;

b) Periodically consider reports of the City People’s Committee on the implementation of the Capital Law.

5. The City People's Committee shall, under their competence, be responsible for complying with the provisions of clauses 1, 2 and 3 of this Article and the following tasks and powers:

a) Ensure safety and convenience for the operation of central authorities of the Communist Party, the State, socio-political organizations, diplomatic missions, international organizations and the organization of national and international programs and events in the City; cooperate with relevant agencies and organizations in ensuring the operation of central authorities, important internal and external activities of the Communist Party and the State;

b) Proactively cooperate and support provinces and central-affiliated cities in the Capital Region, the Red River Delta, the Northern Key Economic Region, the Northern Dynamic Region and the whole country through the expansion of forms of association and cooperation for mutual development;

c) Enable agencies, organizations and individuals to efficiently participate in the construction, development, management and protection of the Capital;

d) Participate in giving opinions on draft laws and resolutions of the National Assembly concerning specific policies and mechanisms specified herein;

dd) Propose the application of regulations in laws and resolutions of the National Assembly promulgated after the effective date of the Capital Law that differ from the provisions of the Capital Law, as the application of such regulations will facilitate the construction, development, management, and protection of the Capital, request the City People's Council to give comments before requesting the Government to propose to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to consider issuing decisions in accordance with the provisions of Clause 2, Article 4 of this Law;

e) Conduct a preliminary review and submit reports to the Government regarding the implementation of the Capital Law every three years; submit reports to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the enforcement of the Capital Law upon request.

6. Committees of Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels of the City and members of Vietnam Fatherland Front shall:

a) supervise the implementation of policies and laws on the Capital; supervise the performance of tasks devolved or authorized as prescribed by this Law;

b) express social criticism about draft legislative documents promulgated by the City People's Council and the City People's Committee according to this Law;

c) tightly cooperate with governments at all levels, and encourage the participation of agencies, organizations and individuals in the City in the construction, development, management and protection of the Capital.

7. Officials and public employees in the capital must keep studying and training in order to raise their competence and proficiency, and satisfy the requirements for their duties; be a positive role model in the assigned duties and authority; instruct and enable the people to comply with law.

8. The people in the Capital must comply with the law, actively participate in the construction of the government, the civilized lifestyle, keeping the security, social order and safety in the Capital.

Chapter VII

IMPLEMENTATION CLAUSES

Article 53. Effect

1. This Law enters into force from January 01, 2025, except for the cases specified in clause 2 of this Article.

2. The following regulations of the Law on Capital take effect from July 1, 2025:

a) The management and use of underground space specified in Article 19 of this Law;

b) The establishment of commercial and cultural development zones specified in Clause 7, Article 21 of this Law;

c) The development of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation specified in Article 23 of this Law;

d) The controlled testing specified in Article 25 of this Law;

dd) The performance of the build-transfer contract specified in Article 40 of this Law.

3. Capital Law No. 25/2012/QH13, Resolution No. 97/2019/QH14, Resolution No. 160/2021/QH14, and Resolution No. 115/2020/QH14 expire from January 1, 2025.

Article 54. Transitional provisions

1. Commune-level officials who were elected or recruited before the effective date of this Law shall be converted into district-level officials according to the provisions of the Law on Officials on the administrative payroll assigned annually to continue working at their working positions; in the case of changing to a new job position, it must ensure the standards and conditions as prescribed by law and be suitable for the job position approved by the competent authority.

2. The documents promulgated by the People's Councils and the People's Committees of wards before July 1, 2021, if not replaced or annulled by competent authorities, shall still be applicable.

In the case of documents promulgated by the People's Councils of wards and legislative documents promulgated by the People's Committees of wards before July 1, 2021 are no longer appropriate, the People's Councils of urban districts, district-level towns, and district-level cities shall annul the documents of the People's Councils of wards; the People's Committees of urban districts, district-level towns, and district-level cities shall annul the legislative documents of the People's Committees of wards at the request of the People's Committees of wards.

3. From the effective date of this Law, it is not required to classify urban areas or review the classification criteria for special urban areas when following procedures for adjusting administrative boundaries or expanding the inner city to establish districts or wards of the City.

4. The agencies, units, and establishments which are subject to relocation of their headquarters in accordance with the provisions of Clause 1, Article 9, and Point b, Clause 3, Article 15 of the Capital Law No. 25/2012/QH13 and have completed investment and construction at their new locations but have not yet handed over the land banks at the locations where they are required to relocate to the City People's Committee must complete the handover before December 31, 2025, for management and use in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

Agencies, units, and establishments that are subject to relocation in accordance with the provisions of Clause 1, Article 9, and Point b, Clause 3, Article 15 of the Capital Law No. 25/2012/QH13 and have relocation plans and plans for using land banks after relocation approved by competent authorities before the enactment of this Law shall continue implementing the approved plans.

From the enactment of this Law, agencies, units, and establishments that are subject to relocation in accordance with the provisions of Clause 1, Article 9, and Point b, Clause 3, Article 15 of the Capital Law No. 25/2012/QH13 and have no relocation plan or plan for using land banks after relocation approved by competent authorities shall comply with the provisions of this Law.

5. For underground works and underground parts of above-ground works that have been constructed or licensed to be constructed before the effective date of this Law, it is not required to follow procedures for obtaining construction permits and pay levies on underground space specified in Clause 2, Article 19 of this Law.

For the renovation and reconstruction of underground works and underground parts of existing above-ground works; and adjustments to construction permits that alter the use of underground space after the effective date of this Law, it is required to have construction permits and pay levies on underground space in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

6. For scientific and technological tasks using the City budget and key scientific and technological tasks of the Capital, and key programs and projects for regional association and development that have been approved or contracted before the effective date of this Law but have not been accepted or completed, the provisions of this Law shall be applied.

7. Enterprises, contractors, agencies, organizations, and units that wish to employ foreign workers stipulated in point c, clause 3, Article 24 of this Law and have been granted approval by competent authorities for the employment of foreign workers or work permits for foreigners working at the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park before the effective date of this Law may choose to report changes in the demand for employing foreign workers or follow procedures for reissuing or renewing work permits for foreigners at the Management Board of the high-tech park or the competent authorities that have granted approval or work permits.

8. For a contract for provision of electricity and water services in the City that was concluded before the effective date of this Law, the parties involved in the contract are responsible for supplementing the contract or its appendices to show the content related to the cessation of electricity and water services upon request from a competent authority as stipulated in Clause 3, Article 33 of this Law.

9. The adjustment of investment guideline decisions and investment guideline approvals for projects specified in clauses 2, 3, and 4 of Article 37 of this Law whose investment guidelines have been decided or approved before the effective date of this Law shall be prescribed by competent authorities in Article 37 of this Law.

10. For investment projects under the authority of the City People's Committee to decide on investment, or approve investment guidelines in accordance with the provisions of this Law, if the projects are subject to environmental impact assessment (EIA) and reports on environmental impact assessment (EIA) have been submitted to the competent authorities for appraisal before the effective date of this Law, the appraisal and approval of the appraisal results of the environmental impact assessment reports will continue to be carried out according to the provisions of the law applicable upon submission of applications for appraisal; if the projects require environmental permits and applications for environmental permits which have been submitted to the competent authorities before the effective date of this Law, the consideration, appraisal, and issuance of environmental permits will continue to be carried out according to the authority and procedures as prescribed by law applicable upon submission of applications for permits.

This law was adopted by the XV National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 7th session on June 28, 2024.

 

PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Tran Thanh Man