Completing the “Long Planning Revolution” in Vietnam: Implementing and Amending the Planning Law (2017)

Abstract

A “long planning revolution” in Vietnam spanning the past 40 years began with the Doi Moi economic reforms (1986), which laid the foundations for all government structures and activities. A carefully prepared new Planning Law was adopted in 2017, which incorporated a considerable amount of new thinking, but almost ten years later, the need for amendments is being transformed into a proposed update of the law. This paper traces the performance of the Planning Law in practice, in view of the emerging agenda for amendments that are currently under consideration. The complex process of working towards such amendments might be expected to conclude in the next two years (2026-2027). This would finally bring to an end a 40-year period of innovation and change in the history of Vietnamese planning legislation. In this context, the paper also considers the substantial contributions made by international agencies in Vietnam, such as UN-Habitat, which have been instrumental in guiding the change processes for nearly three decades.

Received: 2^nd July 2025; Revised: 10^th September 2025; Accepted: 20^th October 2025