At the closing session of its first extraordinary sitting on August 24 afternoon, the 16th National Assembly passed a resolution on establishing northern Quang Ninh province as a centrally-run city, with 478 out of 478 participants voting in favor.
The resolution will take effect on September 1, 2026.
According to the resolution, Quang Ninh City is established based on the entire natural area and population scale of Quang Ninh province which borders Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Lang Son, China, and the East Sea.
The resolution stipulates that, in addition to the regimes and policies for centrally governed cities, the special mechanisms, regimes, and policies currently applied to Quang Ninh province will continue to be implemented until the end of the applicable period or until a new decision by the competent authority.
The government's explanatory report, presented by Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Hai under the authority of the Prime Minister, indicated that during the discussion sessions all opinions agreed on the necessity of establishing the city, based on the fact that Quang Ninh meeting all 5 conditions and 7 standards of a centrally-run city.
After Quang Ninh City is established, the government will continue to direct the locality to research and build specific special mechanisms and policies to present to the competent authority for consideration and decision so that the new city will become a green, smart maritime city, with the heritage, cultural, and landscape values of Quang Ninh province being preserved and further developed.
According to Minister Nguyen Tien Hai, Quang Ninh's planning has clearly identified solutions for strictly preserving the outstanding global values of its heritage while maintaining cultural identity during urban development. The orientation is to build Quang Ninh into a modern, smart, green city, rich in identity and with international competitiveness, based on the preservation and promotion of coastal landscapes, natural ecosystems, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the history of the mining region, and the communities of coastal, mountainous, and border residents.
For the World Natural Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay, the planning identifies the requirement to strictly preserve the outstanding global values; maintain the integrity of the rocky landscape, water surface, marine ecosystem, and characteristic geological and geomorphological values.
According to the government, the establishment of Quang Ninh City is not merely a change of name or organization of an administrative unit, but has long-term significance for the organization of development space and the model of local government, thereby creating new growth momentum for Quang Ninh, the Red River Delta, the Northern region, and the whole country.
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