Hanoi clamps down on illegal “check planning” services and misinformation

Hanoi’s Culture and Sports Department and the Planning‑Architecture Department announced coordinated actions to verify and penalise individuals or organisations that disseminate inaccurate information about the city’s 100‑year master plan on social media, especially those charging fees for “check planning” services. Officials said that many online ads offering detailed plan checks are non‑official, may require payment, and sometimes involve software tampering. The city will investigate such cases, and violations can attract fines of 10‑20 million VND. At the same press briefing, officials explained that the current planning data is being consolidated into a standardised database that will be publicly accessible via official city portals, preventing the need for paid third‑party checks. Citizens are urged to use only the authorised channels for any planning queries.