Lawmakers debate Hanoi master plan

Deputies have agreed on the need for a master plan for the capital city until 2030 and vision to 2050.

Minister of Construction Nguyen Hong Quan had earlier made clear a number of issues relating to the master plan. He stressed the whole city of Hanoi was regarded as the political and administrative centre of Viet Nam, not any district or precinct within the city, so whichever location was chosen for the administration precinct, it would still be in Hanoi.

Deputies Nguyen Van Hop from the Song Hong (Red River) Delta of Hai Duong and Scom Sa Duyen from the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province of Gia Lai said the master plan should conserve traditional characteristics and consider socio-economic development of the city's rural areas.

Deputies said a detailed study of Hanoi's rural areas was important to create harmony between urban and rural development.

They urged planners to avoid conflict between the Hanoi master plan and the capital region plan.

Deputies focused mostly on two issues: the location for a national administration precinct and transportation.

Deputies said Viet Nam should have an administrative precinct befitting a proud nation with a rich history and unique culture, not to mention its enhanced status in the region.

Many didn't support the master plan proposal that the headquarters of key government agencies and cultural centres be moved to Ba Vi, a rural district of the capital, while the political hub remained in Ba Dinh Precinct.

Those against the proposal included Nguyen Minh Thuyet from northern border Lang Son Province, Nguyen Van Hop from Hai Duong, and Ngo Thi Minh from the northern mining province of Quang Ninh.

The latter suggested the political and administrative centres should be together in Ba Dinh or My Dinh.

In discussion on transport development, Deputy Nguyen Minh Thuyet rejected the idea of building the Thang Long road axis by 2050 as mentioned in the master plan's view to 2050.

He argued there were already two roads running in that direction: the Lang-Hoa Lac expressway and National Highway 32.

Deputies agreed transport development must create harmony between rail, road, air and waterways.

Meanwhile, some deputies asked planners to come up with flood prevention and diversion measures.

Public employees

Most National Assembly deputies agree that Viet Nam requires a Public Employees Law distinct from a Civil Service Law, but many also argue that a draft now before them has numerous shortcomings.

The deputies discussed the proposed law yesterday after the Law Committee told them it was required to organise, arrange and manage the entire system of public non-productive endeavours.

The law would create a legal foundation to build and develop workers for these non-productive units in conformity with a Socialist-oriented market economy, the committee said.

The assembly was also told that more than 1.6 million public employees provided basic and essential services in education, health, science and technology, sports, information and telecommunications.

But many deputies complained that the draft law failed to define public employees; it also identified only those public employees who worked for State-owned enterprises and ignored those employed in the private sector.

Deputy Chu Son Ha of Hanoi suggested a more appropriate name for the proposed new legalisation would be the State Public Employees Law.

"Public employees are working in both the State and private sectors," the deputy said. "Many teachers work at private schools."

Deputy Dang Van Khanh of Hanoi said the draft identified workers at public non-productive units as public employees. "But what is the category of people working at public agencies, public organisations.. drivers, typists, security guards?" he asked.

Other deputies argued that the scope of the draft law was adequate but it needed to properly define the meaning of public non-productive units.

Yet others said the initial aim of separating public employees from civil servants was to reduce the cost to the State budget.

They asked the compiling committee to stick to this aim otherwise it would be impossible to achieve the goal.

"If the Public Employees Law is made similar to the Civil Servants Law, we will not achieve this goal," warned deputy Nguyen Dinh Quyen.

Deputy Nguyen Ngoc Dao said it would be impossible to set a ceiling for the salaries paid at non-productive units because an increasing number would be financially autonomous in conformity with the trend to socialisation.

Many public employees might get a very high salary against the money paid to civil servants, he said.

"Is it likely that a number of civil servants will want to become public employees for the higher payment?" the deputy asked.

The draft includes regulations that are favourable to public employees compared with civil servants.

The law would allow public employees to contribute capital to their enterprises; found different types of business, work extra hours and sign contracts with other units that it regulates.