Unlocking urban potential of smart cities

Unlocking urban potential of smart cities

The development of smart satellite cities is reshaping Hanoi's spatial structure. In Hoa Lac, where science, technology, and education converge, the Tien Xuan Smart City is envisioned as the urban core that connects research, production, and everyday life.

On December 17, based on the orientation and direction of the Hanoi People's Committee regarding the completion of the Tien Xuan urban area project towards a smart city model, integrated with and supporting the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, SJ Group announced the implementation of Tien Xuan Smart City with a workshop themed "Creating a smart city vision".

Hoa Lac - strategic satellite city

According to the adjusted master plan for Hanoi and the approved Hoa Lac urban zoning plan, Hoa Lac is positioned as a leading national centre for science, technology, education, and innovation. It is the largest satellite city of the capital, playing a catalytic role where research, training, and high-tech production converge.

As Vietnam accelerates development based on science, technology, and innovation, a series of foundational policy decisions has been introduced. Notably, Conclusion Notice No.45-TB/TGV dated September 30 of the Central Steering Committee emphasised the “triple helix” cooperation model between the state, scientists, and enterprises, linking high-tech parks with smart urban development. On that basis, Hanoi People’s Committee was tasked, with Hoa Lac High-Tech Park as the nucleus, to improve smart transport connectivity and to study the establishment of a Hanoi Smart City Laboratory.

Hoa Lac is therefore no longer viewed as a stand-alone high-tech park, but as an integrated urban ecosystem where research and production spaces must be matched by environments for living, learning, and creativity. This is precisely where smart urban areas are expected to play a decisive role.

Global experience from high-tech hubs shows that advanced technical infrastructure and policy incentives alone are insufficient. A sustainable innovation centre also requires an attractive living environment in which people are willing to settle long term.

Speaking at the workshop “Building the Tien Xuan Smart City Master Plan - Shaping the Smart Urban Vision”, Tran Nhu Trung, CEO of SJ Group, said, “If the high-tech park represents the hardware of research and production, then Tien Xuan must be the software, the urban core providing services, social infrastructure, and a high-quality living environment. These two components cannot be separated; they must function as an integrated whole.”

This observation reflects Hoa Lac’s current challenge: a vibrant daytime economy but limited activity after working hours, as many experts, lecturers and students still commute back to central Hanoi. Smart, multifunctional urban development is expected to retain talent and create a continuous, dynamic urban rhythm.

The signing ceremony between SJ Group and Perkins Eastman

Based on SJ Group’s proposal and feasibility assessment, Hanoi People’s Committee has acknowledged and endorsed the orientation to develop Tien Xuan as a smart urban area closely integrated with Hoa Lac High-Tech Park. Covering more than 1,200 hectares, Tien Xuan is planned to perform several strategic functions.

First, it is envisaged as the central business and service district of Hoa Lac’s science and technology city, providing housing, education, healthcare, commercial facilities, and modern urban amenities. Second, it will offer high-quality living space for experts, scientists, engineers, and students working and studying at Hoa Lac High-Tech Park and Vietnam National University.

More importantly, Tien Xuan is positioned as essential “soft infrastructure”, complementing research and development facilities, data centres, and high-tech production zones. Trung said that the investor’s guiding principle is long-term and responsible planning.

“A successful master plan is not defined by attractive drawings alone. What matters most is the participation and voice of all stakeholders. Planning is not about land subdivision; it is about creating a vision that future generations can inherit and develop,” he said.

From an academic and professional perspective, Dinh Van Binh, a lecturer at Hanoi Architectural University, said that Tien Xuan occupies a particularly strategic position within the Hoa Lac urban complex. The project lies within sub-zones HL4 and HL5, planned as a smart eco-urban area closely connected to the high-tech park and Vietnam National University.

The area benefits from a comprehensive transport network, including Thang Long Boulevard, National Highway 21, Ring Road 5 and, Metro Line 5 (Van Cao - Hoa Lac), with Tien Xuan Station serving the project. In addition, the semi-mountainous terrain, lakes, and forests give the area an exceptionally high proportion of green and water surfaces, estimated at 70 per cent.

“Tien Xuan has ideal conditions for developing a smart eco-city based on its unique natural landscape and local cultural context. With well-considered planning, it can become a distinctive urban area with international appeal,” Binh said.

To realise this vision, SJ Group has appointed Perkins Eastman, one of the world’s leading planning and architectural consultancies, as its strategic partner. With extensive experience in large-scale urban projects across the United States, Europe, and Asia, Perkins Eastman is particularly recognised for integrating urban planning with healthcare, education, and science and technology hubs.

The workshop series organised by SJ Group has established a three-step planning methodology: contextual analysis, scenario development, and optimal option selection, benchmarked against proven global models of university-linked, high-tech and walkable urban districts. Key principles include transit-oriented development along Metro Line 5, preservation of green belts, underground technical infrastructure, and the application of international green building standards.

Troy Griffiths, deputy managing director of Savills Vietnam

From a market standpoint, Troy Griffiths, deputy managing director of Savills Vietnam, highlighted that macroeconomic trends and infrastructure investment are creating significant opportunities for western Hanoi’s satellite cities.

“By 2035, Vietnam’s average income per capita could reach around $7,500, leading to a substantial expansion of the middle class. This will fundamentally reshape demand for housing, consumption, and living environments,” he said.

Griffiths said that transport infrastructure, particularly the metro network, will restructure land values and residential behaviour. With Tien Xuan located around 30 minutes from central Hanoi, the area is well positioned to attract both end-users and high-skilled professionals working in Hoa Lac.

“Tien Xuan has a strong location and a positive long-term outlook, but competition will be intense. Product strategy, partnerships, and capital structuring therefore need to be carefully planned from the outset,” he added.

In the wider context of Hanoi’s development, Tien Xuan is more than a real estate project. It represents a key component in the capital’s ambition to become a regional innovation hub. The creation of a smart, eco-oriented urban area linked to science and technology in Hoa Lac will help ease pressure on the inner city while opening up a new, high-quality growth space.

Over the long term, Tien Xuan is expected to serve as a testing ground for smart urban governance, digital technologies, and data-driven solutions. It will also support Hanoi’s objectives for green growth, sustainable development, and the national commitment to net-zero emissions.

VIR