President of Viet Nam Urban Planning and Development Association (VUPDA) Tran Ngoc Chinh had a meeting with the delegation of UN Habitat in Viet Nam led by Mr. Frank D’hondt, Chief Technical Advisor and Secretary General of ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners) on September 5th, 2023 in order to strengthen cooperation in urban planning and development.
Mr. Frank D’hondt was very happy to visit VUPDA. As the Chief Technical Advisor of the Project “Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Development in Viet Nam” (ISCB Project) funded by UN Habitat, Mr. Frank D’hondt proposed that during the implementation of project, it is necessary to have the participation, criticism and comments of independent agencies and especially the social – professional organizations such as VUPDA.
ISOCARP and VUPDA are two organization with similar activities in scientific and technological research, in social criticism consulting and in the seminar and conference organization… Therefore, Mr. Frank D’hondt proposed VUPDA to join as a member of ISOCARD, invited to attend conferences and seminars, especially the 60th ISOCARP Anniversary Celebration to be held in October 2023 in Toronto – Canada…
At the meeting, President Tran Ngoc Chinh introduced the main functions and tasks of VUPDA as well as the outstanding achievements obtained in the past 25 years as a social criticism organization for urban planning and development in Viet Nam. President Tran Ngoc Chinh also expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation with international organizations, including UN Habitat, ISOCARP in strengthening the capacity and quality of urban planning in Viet Nam.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation as follows:
– In the framework of the ISCB project funded by UN Habitat: two parties will cooperate in organizing the technical workshops, VUPDA experts will participate the national planning assessment as well as the pilot components in 3 cities: Tam Ky, Vung Tau and Ben Tre…
– In cooperation with ISOCARP: Projects received VUPDA Awards need to be considered for participation of The ISOCARP Award for Excellence.
– Invite VUPDA to become a member of ISOCARP in the coming time
The UN Habitat’s Chief Technical Advisor also suggested that the two sides could discuss more details for organizing the online and offline technical workshop in Hanoi at the end of September, 2023 aiming the assessment of urban planning in Viet Nam with the participation of domestic and international consultants.
Photo by Moc Co; Report by Hue Nguyen