The study focuses on an understanding of planning processes at national and local level and how these relate with local infrastructure planning and development. A total of 6 provinces, 3 around Hanoi City (Ha Tay, Ninh Binh and Vin Phuc), and 1 each in the mountainous northern territory (Lai Chau), in the central region (Ha Tinh) and in the Mekong River Delta in the south (Vinh Long) were visited for first hand information on infrastructure planning and development practices. In addition, demonstration workshops in 2 selected districts were conducted to showcase the ILOdeveloped planning technology and determine how this can be applied in the country.
The 2-month study consisted of a review of official documents relevant to rural infrastructure development, field visits to interview key informants and interact with local government officials, and use of data generated by a DFID-funded study on accessibility conditions in selected districts in upland and river delta provinces to demonstrate the application of accessibility planning technology. Some of the official documents provided were written in Vietnamese and had to be translated yet by the local consultants. The activities at Hanoi and the 6 provinces provided an appreciation of the prescribed and actual planning practices and a clear understanding of the issues and concerns with regards to rural infrastructure development.