VIETNAM GOVT APPROVES URBAN DEVELOPMENT MASTERPLAN.

HANOI, Nov 1 Asia Pulse - The Vietnamese government has approved a master plan for urban zoning and development aimed at turning cities into engines of regional socio-economic growth.

It is expected to provide a road map for the sustainable and comprehensive development of the country's 650 urban centres, as part of a long-term strategy to industrialise Vietnam by 2020.

The plan aims to tackle the range of natural, historical, demographic and social obstacles hindering the growth of Vietnamese cities.

One of the key problems is the poor state of much urban economic and technical infrastructure, which is failing to keep pace with the cities' burgeoning population growth.

The skew towards urbanisation and the over-use of agricultural land for urban development has posed a threat to food security.

Another problem is the inadequate attention being paid to the environment and sanitation in urban centres and their surrounds.

Meanwhile, the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and the increasing incidence of urban poverty, has confounded efforts to build sustainable urban growth.