In recent decades, hundreds of master-planned KDTMs (new urban areas) have developed on the urban fringes of
expanding cities in Vietnam. They are promoted as a new urban planning concept in the post-reform policies. The
governments are very proud of this model as it has solved the problems of housing production and housing supply
simultaneously, and at the same time, improving the quality of life, well-managing urban space development, changing
the face of the city, attracting investment capital. As a key tool in the housing and urban space development of
Hanoi - “from zero to hero” - these projects show the ambition to transform the greenfields to animated KDTMs.
Based on the results of the survey on KDTMs in Hanoi, this article discusses the KDTMs’ planning concepts, developing
the methods to transform KDTMs into attractive and livable residential neighborhoods, moving toward the
sustainable operation of the KDTM model.

Authors: Minh Tung Tran, Ngoc Huyen Chu, Thuy Linh Pham