13 ministries, state agencies may relocate from downtown Hanoi

The Ministry of Construction says it is completing a Hanoi zoning map for head offices of ministries and state agencies, which may result in 13 moving away from the city center.

Details of the zoning map are contained in a new report prepared by Construction Minister Nguyen Thanh Nghi for his Q&A session Thursday at the ongoing National Assembly sitting.

The map lists two groups of head offices - those that will be relocated and those that won’t.

The first list comprises the ministries of Transport; Health; Education and Training; Industry and Trade; Culture, Sports and Tourism; Information and Communications; Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs; Construction; Justice, Planning and Investment, Agriculture and Rural Development; Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee; and Vietnam Social Security.

For the second group, new offices will be built or existing ones renovated.

The Ministry of Construction proposed two optional sites for the first group - the West West Lake Area or Me Tri Area.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the Prime Minister has agreed with its proposal on earmarking around 35 hectares in the West West Lake Area and part of the Me Tri Area for the first group.

The West West Lake Area (Xuan La ward of Tay Ho district and Xuan Tao ward of Bac Tu Liem district) is 5 kilometers from Hanoi's center and 14 km from the Noi Bai International Airport.

The Me Tri Area includes Me Tri and Trung Van wards in Nam Tu Liem district. Nam Tu Liem district is home to the My Dinh area, called Hanoi's new admistrative center.

The area is 10 km from the city's center and 40 km from the Noi Bai airport.