Law on Urban and Rural Planning: How to Check the Planning Before You Commit Money

Before putting down a deposit on an apartment or a plot of land, the first question to ask is: what is this place designated for under the planning? Since 1 July 2025, the preparation and management of urban planning has been governed by the Law on Urban and Rural Planning No. 47/2024/QH15. This law was amended by Law No. 144/2025/QH15 dated 11 December 2025 and is guided by Decree No. 178/2025/NĐ-CP.

This article briefly explains what the law provides, what buyers are entitled to see, and the steps for checking the planning in Hanoi.

Three documents to know

• Law No. 47/2024/QH15 was adopted by the National Assembly on 26 November 2024 and took effect on 1 July 2025. It replaces the old terms "construction planning" and "urban planning" with a single system called urban and rural planning.
• Law No. 144/2025/QH15 dated 11 December 2025 amends and supplements a number of articles of Law No. 47, effective from 1 January 2026. Earlier, Law No. 47 had also been partly amended by the Law on Digital Technology Industry, No. 71/2025/QH15.
• Decree No. 178/2025/NĐ-CP dated 1 July 2025 provides detailed regulations for the law. This decree was amended by Decree No. 34/2026/NĐ-CP dated 22 January 2026.

What does Law No. 144/2025/QH15 change?

According to the consolidated text by the Office of the National Assembly, the notable amendments include:

• Amending the types of planning and adding planning for special zones, in line with the two-level local government model.
• Repealing some articles and clauses of the original law, including Article 24 and Article 28.
• Drawing scales of master plans, zoning plans and detailed plans are no longer fixed in the law but are assigned to the Minister of Construction to regulate.
• The planning specialist agencies under the commune People's Committee are also responsible for providing planning information, together with provincial agencies and functional zone management units.
• Adding a temporary mechanism (Article 2 of Law No. 144, applicable from 1 January 2026 to the end of 28 February 2027): zoning plans for urban areas formed after the administrative unit reorganization are prepared in parallel and may be approved before the provincial plan or master plan.

How many planning levels are there?

The law divides urban and rural planning into three levels: master planning, zoning planning and detailed planning (Clause 3, Article 3). The further down the levels, the closer the information is to individual land lots.

Master plan

Prepared for cities, urban areas, communes, economic zones, national tourist areas and special zones. This is the strategic picture: which direction the urban area develops in and what the main infrastructure framework looks like. A master plan cannot answer the question "what can be built on this lot".

Zoning plan

Prepared for each area within the master plan. Under Article 25, a zoning plan sets population, land use and technical infrastructure indicators for each city block, and arranges schools, parks and social housing (if any). This is the layer to look at to know what will be around the project.

Detailed plan

Under Article 26, a detailed plan specifies the function and land use indicators for each land lot, the spatial organization, infrastructure and urban design. The market still commonly calls it "1/500 planning" after the drawing scale commonly used before. Under current law, the drawing scale is set by the Minister of Construction.

One more case to know: under Article 10 of Decree 178 (as amended), some small projects do not have to prepare a full detailed plan but prepare a "site master plan". For example, an apartment building project under 2 ha, located in an area with an approved zoning plan, carried out by a single developer. The site master plan must be approved in writing by a competent authority. When asking for documents, buyers should know which case the project falls under.

What can the public view?

The law is fairly clear:

• Mandatory announcement (Article 50): within 15 days at the latest after approval, the plan must be publicly announced. The announcement dossier includes the approval decision, drawings, explanatory report and planning management regulations. Announcements are made at agency offices, on web portals and on the national planning information system.
• Right of access (Clause 1, Article 55): every organization and individual may access approved and announced plans, planning management regulations, implementation plans for master plans, administrative procedures and legal documents on planning.
• Provision on request (Clauses 2 and 3, Article 55): provincial and commune-level specialist agencies must provide approved planning information on request and are responsible for the accuracy of the documents they provide. Information may be provided by direct explanation or in writing.
• Boundary markers (Article 52): red lines, construction-prohibited zone boundaries and so on are marked out on the ground.

Note: Law No. 47/2024 does not provide for a procedure called a "planning certificate" as it was commonly known before. Currently, people ask the competent authority to provide planning information. Before submitting, it is advisable to ask the receiving agency directly about the required documents and the response time.

Summary table

• Master plan — Question it answers: Which direction the urban area develops in; What buyers should look at: Regional orientation, major transport axes
• Zoning plan — Question it answers: What each city block is used for, density, population; What buyers should look at: Schools, green space, planned roads around the project
• Detailed plan / site master plan — Question it answers: What can be built on each lot and how high; What buyers should look at: The approval decision or approval document, the function of the lot of the home you are buying

Steps to check planning in Hanoi

1. Look on the website of the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture (https://qhkt.hanoi.gov.vn), in the "Công bố quy hoạch" (Planning Announcements) section. This is where the Department posts approved plans.
2. Request official information in writing when you need it for a transaction. Send your request to the Department of Planning and Architecture (31B Tràng Thi) or the ward or commune People's Committee where the lot is located. Under the law, the providing agency is responsible for the accuracy of the information.
3. Distinguish it from land use planning. The city has a lookup page for land use planning and plans (https://qhkhsdd.hanoi.gov.vn). This is information in the land sector, different from urban planning. Online lookup results are for reference only; when you need them for a transaction, request a written information document from the competent authority.
4. Do not pay for unofficial lookup services. In July 2026, the Department of Planning and Architecture advised residents not to use or pay fees to unofficial planning lookup sites and groups. According to the Department, the planning database is expected to be largely completed by the end of 2026 and then made public on an official platform.
5. Ask the developer to present the decision approving the project's detailed plan (or the document approving the site master plan). Compare the function of the lot with the type of product being offered for sale.

What homebuyers should do

• Identify which zoning plan the lot falls under, and whether a detailed plan or site master plan has been approved.
• Ask for a copy of the approval decision with the drawings, not just the advertising renderings.
• Check that the function of the lot is indeed residential land or housing, as the product being sold.
• Ask about planned roads and red lines adjoining the project boundary.
• When you need certainty, send a written request for planning information to the state agency.
• Keep the number and date of every document to cross-check when signing the contract.

The projects Tami distributes in the Ciputra urban area, Phú Thượng Ward, such as Maison Privée, Astor 1 and The Windsor Collection, can all be cross-checked following the steps above. You can contact Tami to review the legal file of each project.

Reference documents

• Law on Urban and Rural Planning No. 47/2024/QH15 dated 26 November 2024, National Assembly, effective 1 July 2025. Consolidated text by the Office of the National Assembly (including amendments in Law No. 71/2025/QH15 and Law No. 144/2025/QH15), published on the Government Electronic Portal: https://datafiles.chinhphu.vn/cpp/files/vbpq/2026/3/33-vbhn-vpqh.pdf
• Law No. 144/2025/QH15 dated 11 December 2025, National Assembly, amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning, effective 1 January 2026 (content looked up via the consolidated text above).
• Law on Digital Technology Industry, No. 71/2025/QH15 dated 14 June 2025, National Assembly (partly amending Law No. 47/2024/QH15).
• Decree No. 178/2025/NĐ-CP dated 1 July 2025, Government, detailing a number of articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning; amended by Decree No. 34/2026/NĐ-CP dated 22 January 2026. Consolidated document No. 18/VBHN-BXD dated 24 March 2026 of the Ministry of Construction: https://moc.gov.vn/Images/FileVanBan/BXD_18-VBHN-BXD_24032026.pdf
• Website of the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture: https://qhkt.hanoi.gov.vn

This article is general information compiled from legal documents and does not replace legal advice. Updated on 23 October 2026.