A section of Ta Hien Street, part of Hanoi's iconic Old Quarter, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, February 12, 2021. (Photo: VnExpress)

The urban planning project aims to manage the local population and improve infrastructure in the capital's "historical downtown districts" of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung.

To reach the project’s population reduction goal, from the current 880,000 to 670,000 in 10 years, the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture said the capital would move citizens out of downtown areas, while also relocating facilities like universities, hospitals and administrative entities, among others.

Hanoi would also balance its resources and capital to invest in the synchronization of both technical and social framework infrastructure, while focusing on developing satellite cities and eco-cities to create new population centers, which should reduce population density downtown.

Nguyen Duc Hung, deputy director of Hanoi Urban Planning Institute, said the capital also plans to avoid building skyscrapers in downtown areas.