Transformation of urban villages in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam

In Vietnam, urban village is a unique phenomenon that highlights the process when farming villages were transformed into urban environment under the influence of rapid urbanization. In Hanoi, Vietnam, urban villages were formed when cities sprawled and surrounded the adjacent villages within the urbanized landscape. To take advantage of the urban surrounding, residents in those villages transformed their dwellings into rented accommodation for those who could not afford expensive renting cost elsewhere in cities.

Urban villages provided alternative urban spaces to suit the special needs of various groups, such as immigrants. However, due to the self-built natures of buildings in urban villages, there were concerns about health issues in those built environments such as poor qualities of ventilation, lighting, or fire escape routes, together with the lack of appropriate public space or provision of basic facilities. This paper studies urban villages in Hanoi, examining the historical and social background of villages, and exploring issues such as the health equality and neighborhood support and wellbeing. Some comparison will also be drawn between the urban villages in Vietnam and those in China, which developed in similar rapid urbanization processes.

The study aims to provide more information on how fundamental economic and social changes might bring new healthy problems and the possible solutions to those issues. Case studies, direct observation, interviews and archive study are key research methods for this project. The project aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge about the interconnection and potential solutions to the problems associated with health and the built environment.