Hanoi has allocated more than VND26 trillion (US$1.1 billion) for more than 1,200 educational, cultural, and health institutions, according to Le Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan delivers his speech at the meeting. Photo: The Hanoi Times

One-tenth of the amount has been disbursed for 40 city-level projects, Hieu told a meeting on July 31 on Hanoi's education, culture, and health activities in 2022-2025.

The rest was for about 1,180 district-level projects worth VND23.4 trillion ($927.7 million).

In 2022-2025, the Hanoi municipal government plans to carry out more than 1,400 cultural, education, and health projects. The capital expects to finance VND44 trillion ($1.74 billion) for these projects.

As of July 2024, more than 1,200 projects have been approved and work has started on 855 projects. Hanoi expects to complete 815 projects by the end of this year.

At the meeting, local authorities proposed several solutions to the city, urging departments to coordinate with districts and towns to expedite the approval of documents for projects.

Pham Qui Tien, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council, and Vu Thu Ha, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, suggested that local authorities make reports on the projects that need revision. The results will be reviewed by the People's Council in September.

Both officials also reminded that districts need to forecast enrollment to ensure effective investment and avoid waste in school development projects.

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan appreciated the district and department leaders' discussions. He also welcomed their efforts to overcome difficulties and speed up project progress.

He instructed the Hanoi People's Committee to review the medium-term public investment plan for 2021-2025, especially for 2024 and 2025, in all three sectors.

Tuan also asked the Hanoi government to prepare a revised master plan for the five years and submit the new plan to the Hanoi People's Council for discussion in the last months of 2024.

The Chairman of the Municipal People's Council asked the authorities to review projects at the city and district levels and address specific issues to ensure the fulfillment of investment plans.