Circular No. 03/2026/TT-BXD Guiding Smart Urban Development
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Based on:03/2026/TT-BXD - Government Official Gazette
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Circular No. 03/2026/TT-BXD, issued by the Ministry of Construction on January 28, 2026, provides detailed guidance for implementing Decree No. 269/2025/ND-CP on smart urban development. It sets out how to evaluate and recognize a province's or city's «smart urban maturity level» across three ascending tiers - foundation building, system linkage, and governance innovation - based on 52 criteria and indicators grouped into six pillars: institutions, planning and construction, technical infrastructure, socio-economic infrastructure, digital infrastructure and platforms, and governance. The circular also lays out the process for evaluating and certifying «smart urban zones» for urban development investment projects, including the competency requirements for assessment organizations and a mandate to partner with a reputable international body for large-scale projects (50 hectares or more, or a population of 15,000 or more). It further assigns data-reporting responsibilities to ministries, provincial People's Committees, and project developers feeding into the National Smart Urban Information Portal. This is a specialized urban planning and city-management document that mainly affects local governments and developers of large-scale urban zone projects. It contains no provisions on tax, accounting, e-invoicing, labor, or customs, so it falls outside the core interest area of most SMEs. The circular takes effect from its date of signing (January 28, 2026).
Scope and Applicability
Circular No. 03/2026/TT-BXD (signed January 28, 2026, by Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van on behalf of the Minister of Construction) provides detailed guidance on implementing Decree No. 269/2025/ND-CP dated October 14, 2025, on smart urban development. It applies to cities, provinces, urban areas within cities and provinces, and agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in smart urban development.
Evaluating Smart Urban Maturity Levels
Evaluations must be public, objective, and transparent, based on actual data and implementation results rather than unrealized plans or proposals. Appendix I sets out 52 criteria and indicators across six pillars - institutions; smart planning and construction; technical infrastructure; smart socio-economic infrastructure; digital infrastructure and platforms; and governance - assessed across three ascending maturity levels: foundation building, system linkage, and governance innovation. Provincial-level urban areas are assessed against 19 basic indicators; urban areas under a province are assessed against 9 basic urban-level indicators plus 10 basic provincial-level indicators.
Assessment organizations must demonstrate personnel capacity and internal operating rules, and are required to partner with a reputable international organization when evaluating a centrally-governed city. Provincial and commune-level People's Committees select the assessment organization within their management scope, and recognition results are sent to the relevant People's Committee and the Ministry of Construction.
The Ministry of Construction leads the development and operation of a unified urban development database spanning central to local levels; localities are responsible for creating and updating data within their management scope.
Evaluating and Certifying Smart Urban Zones
Project investors may request evaluation and certification after completing an entire urban zone project or each investment phase. The process (detailed in Appendix III) includes application review, on-site surveys, stakeholder consultation, assessment against the criteria framework in Appendix II, and certification if requirements are met. For projects covering 50 hectares or more, or with a population of 15,000 or more, the assessment organization must partner with a reputable international body that has issued its own smart-city evaluation standards. Certification results are publicly disclosed and reported to the provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Construction.
Data Provision to the National Smart Urban Information Portal
Ministries, provincial People's Committees, project developers, and assessment organizations must supply information and data on online services, evaluation and certification results, and assessment capacity to the National Smart Urban Information Portal.
Effective Date
The circular takes effect from its date of signing (January 28, 2026).
Editorial Note
This is a specialized construction and urban-planning technical guideline. It contains no provisions on tax, accounting, e-invoicing, labor, or customs.