Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi has planned to spend $300 million on a project to move five universities and colleges to outlying districts from now to 2015. The sum excludes the capital for site clearance compensation, the Ha Noi Moi newspaper reported June 10. The move aims to reduce the number of students in the inner city to 150,000 by 2030 from the current 478,856, it added. The city will continue moving 10-15 other universities and colleges in 2015-2020 and the rest 20 will be relocated in 2020-2030. To fulfill the project, the city is estimated to need 3,500-4,000 hectares of land. Hoa Lac, Xuan Mai, Son Tay, and Soc Son will be targeted areas of the project. There are 96 universities and colleges in the capital city, accounting for one third of universities and colleges nationwide. About 660,000 students, accounting for 40% of the total students nationwide, are studying in Hanoi. However, the rate of space for each student at many universities together with the land available for each university is well below the national standard, experts said. The plan to move universities and colleges was formed in 2007 under the Prime Minister's Decision 121/2007, aiming to further expand the facilities and reduce traffic jams in the city centers. Vietnam will need at least $4.5 billion to move 80 universities and colleges in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to outlying districts, the Ministry of Education and Training has estimated at a conference June 7. (Ha Noi Moi – New Hanoi June 10 p1)
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