Participants discuss  next-generation megacities as drivers of economic growth and sustainable urban development in Vietnam during a seminar hosted by the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association, Hanoi, March 21, 2026.

Participants agreed that the next-generation megacity model should not emphasize developing urban areas with large populations, but should instead focus on building urban areas with strong core functional capacities and network connectivity that serve as growth poles within the national urban system.

That orientation is consistent with the National Master Plan Adjustment for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, they said.

Therefore, relevant authorities need to refine the theoretical and legal frameworks for next-generation megacities, integrate development orientations into the national, regional, and urban plans, and ensure consistency and synchronization in organizing development space, the seminar suggested.