A decade-long plan to relocate several universities to the capital's suburbs has remained largely ineffective.

A congestion in Hanoi

Students have been blamed for traffic congestion on Giai Phong, one of the widest streets in Hanoi. The road is home to several universities such as the National Economics University and the University of Science and Technology.

"On average, each university has 10,000 students. They can cause severe congestion," said Nguyen Tien Dung from the Department of Transport.

A similar situation also occurs on other streets with universities such as Chua Boc Street with the Banking Academy or Tay Son Street with Thuy Loi University. Lieutenant Colonel Le Tu, head of the Traffic Police Team 3 said when summer holiday started, the amount of traffic and number of congestion at several streets decreased noticeably.

The Transport Engineering Design Inc (TEDI) also said that the number of vehicles in Hanoi was three to four times higher than the streets' designed capacity.

In June 2009, the Government issued two decisions on developing a system of universities and colleges for the region around Hanoi and HCM City with effect to 2025 and a vision to 2050. Despite the plan, the construction of new universities is the city’s suburbs has been nearly abandoned. 

For example, the government approved a new Vietnam National University-Hanoi campus in Thach That District since 2002 valued at VND7.3trn (USD314m). After 17 years, a staff building, a management board building and a dormitory for 2,000 students were built, however, they were later transferred to the Defence Education Centre.

12 universities that are included in the relocation plan haven't been able to move out due to lack of funds to build a new university.

Tu Sy Sua from the University of Transport and Communications criticised the authorities for backward solutions. He said that in many countries, they relocate the residential and some public constructions to the suburbs before limiting personal vehicles. However, the local authorities are doing to opposite.

Tien Phong/Dtinews