National Assembly delegate proposes allowing conditional sidewalk parking in Hanoi

During the discussion on the draft Law on the Capital (amendment) on the morning of April 12, National Assembly delegate Nguyen Van Can (Gia Lai Province delegation) proposed allowing the use of up to 25% of a project’s total floor area as parking.

Parking floor-area proposal and conditions

Mr. Can said the current rule is unclear and does not provide conditions for investors to maximize the exploitation of projects. He noted that part of the 25% floor area could be used for commercial activities that serve both drivers and local residents.

He therefore proposed that investors be allowed to use up to 25% of a project’s total floor area in accordance with the planning to invest in commercial services and support services for parking operations.

“This provision would also help us design many models and architectural forms of high-rise parking that suit different investors, with varying investment scales and returns, matching space, population size, and economic conditions of each area,” Mr. Can said.

Sidewalk parking and traffic management

Mr. Can also argued that underground and high-rise parking is only a partial solution to the capital’s parking demand. He said a large portion of vehicles still park on temporary lots under roads, on sidewalks, or under transportation works.

He pointed to practices in many cities around the world, where partial sidewalk parking is allowed and some sidewalk segments are converted into road space for parking.

“Therefore, I propose adding to the Capital Law (amendment) a provision for sidewalk parking in areas without underground or high-rise parking but with substantial demand, under conditions such as not affecting underground infrastructure, not harming existing trees, not damaging the sidewalk, ensuring a walking corridor, and not affecting the rights of individuals or organizations,” Mr. Can said.

To reduce congestion, Mr. Can further proposed adopting the zipper merge method to help drivers pass through bottlenecks faster and more safely. He said the method has been applied in many countries and urged Hanoi to apply traffic organization rules not currently prescribed by law.

Public infrastructure and education network mechanisms

On mechanisms and policies to develop public infrastructure, Delegate Trinh Thi Tu Anh (Lam Dong delegation) said the draft Law lacks clear policy for developing the public school system. She also said it does not specify mechanisms to develop the public high school network to cope with urban population growth.

She added that the draft Law does not provide guidance to ensure the capacity of the public school system or to link public school development to actual demand in each urban area.

Science, technology, innovation and digital transformation

Regarding science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, the delegate said she highly valued the mechanism for controlled experimentation. However, she suggested adjustments to improve implementation.

She proposed shifting from “risk management” to “risk valuation,” and from “granting testing permissions” to “designing the lifecycle of testing” while protecting participants to ensure trial integrity.

She also emphasized that the authenticity of data and testing results must be ensured, saying that if data are manipulated, the trial mechanism would lose meaning.

The article also notes that it includes related links and references to developments in Hanoi and Vietnam’s policy debates.