Hanoi, Poland’s capital share experience in urban planning

Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi wishes to learn from experience of Poland’s capital city of Warsaw in urban management and preservation of traditional architectures, said a municipal official.

At a working session on March 30 with a visiting delegation from the Warsaw City Council, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Council Phung Thi Hong Ha said Hanoi is also interested in Warsaw’s experience in managing natural resources, minerals and land.

The experience sharing will contribute to strengthening cultural exchange and multifaceted cooperation between the two sides, she noted.

Warsaw representatives said that Poland do not make planning at national level but municipal level, which is valid in only 10 years and adjusted to meet demands.

Regarding measures to develop areas inhabited byethnic minority groups, Nguyen Anh Duong, deputy head of Hanoi’s Department for Ethnic Affairs, said that Hanoi has 37 ethnic minority groups living in 30 districts, with about 70,000 people, accounting for 1 percent of the city’s total population.

The communities often live in areas far from the city downtown with poor economic and infrastructure conditions, he said.

Hanoi has invested about 15 million USD each year ininfrastructure development in ethnic communities, with the involvement of the whole political system, added Duong.

Meanwhile, the Warsaw side shared that the city has 21,000 registered immigrants living in the city centre, including those from Vietnam.

Each year, the city holds programmes and activities to enhance cultural exchangebetween the communities as well as foster solidarity among countries, notably the annual Warsaw Festival that has been run for 20 years.

During the festival, artists from various countries gather and perform in Poland, thus introducing different cultures to immigrants.On the occasion, Warsaw also invited Hanoi’s leaders to attend the festival.

Vietnamese is the second largest community in Poland. Hanoi also asked Warsaw to continue supporting Vietnamese people in socio-economic and cultural development, while maintaining exchanges between the two cities to boost the Vietnam-Poland partnership.-VNA