Urban Green Areas – their functions under a changing lifestyle of ...

spaces, and make urban environmental issues more serious. A further point is that the 2020
master plan seems to lack a theoretical basis or a holistic framework for organizing green
structure on a city scale (UY/NAKAGOSHI 2008: 25).
1.2.2 The political system in Hanoi
Hanoi is a municipality, which is the highest level in the ranking of the six urban levels in
Vietnam’s urban system. Hanoi city is directly under the control and supervision of the
national government. “ olitical structure of Hanoi government authority” divides its power
in two main institutions, namely the Hanoi resident’s council and the Hanoi eople’s
Committee. The former is elected every two years and then elects the members of the
Hanoi eople’s Committee (see Figure 1.6).
“In Hanoi, the relationship between the Communist Party and the municipal government is
crucial in that the Communist Party is the most critical source of power within Vietnamese
society. The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) comprises two elements. First, the CPV
at the municipal level consists of a party bureaucracy that mirrors the bureaucratic structure
of local government. Second, Party Congresses are the formal means of drawing together
Party members, making decisions on policy and plans, and electing members to sit in the
next Party Congress (which are held at provincial, city, district or precinct, village,
township and ward levels)” (HORE 2005: 168–170).
The structure of the system is divided in a vertical and a horizontal axis. Along the vertical
axis, the system comprises three higher administrational levels and two to three
subordinate levels of resident management. Along the horizontal axis, the system includes
two levels of all branches (namely personnel and organization, police, culture- sport and
tourism, construction, transport, training and education). At the city level, those branches
are referred to as departments. At the district level, units under those departments are
referred to as institutes. Depending on the size and development of branches, departments
and institutes can be expanded or reduced.
13