Vietnam: Consultation on Plan to Incorporate About 4,006 Hectares of Phu Tho into Hanoi Concludes, Phu Tho People's Council to Resolve by October 26 at the Latest
The collection of residents' opinions on the administrative boundary change plan between Hanoi and the northern province of Phu Tho in Vietnam has entered its closing stage, with people's councils in villages and wards of Phu Tho Province meeting and passing resolutions by October 26 at the latest. The plan intends to incorporate a total of 4,006.38 hectares of land on the Phu Tho side into Hanoi, involving land in some villages and wards of Phu Tho Province, with the administrative areas of Hanoi's Ba Vi commune and An Xuan commune expanding accordingly. Of this, 2,529.38 hectares belong to Ba Vi National Park and 1,477 hectares belong to the park's buffer zone. Hanoi collected opinions from October 22 to 25 in 126 villages and wards in the city on a per-household basis, using a uniform-format paper ballot, with a representative of each household choosing in favor or against and signing; staff were responsible for distributing and collecting the ballots, but filling in or signing on behalf of others was prohibited. Phu Tho Province announced its opinion-collection implementation plan on October 21, and collected opinions from October 22 to 24 in 148 villages and wards in the province, with each household counting as one opinion. Afterwards, the summarized results were compiled by the provincial Department of Home Affairs, reported to the provincial People's Committee and submitted to the provincial People's Council. This administrative boundary change was approved in basic principle by Resolution No. 26 of the Hanoi Party Committee dated September 6; the change will protect residents' legitimate rights and interests, while taking into account the coordination of the two localities' interests, improved administrative management efficiency and strengthened regional linkage in the capital region. The opinion-collection results will serve as basic material for relevant agencies to advance the next procedures of the administrative boundary change.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 河内还剑湖（资料图）。摄影：Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia，CC BY 2.0，取自 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi (file photo). Credit: Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
