Buổi 10: Writing Task 2 – Two-part question: vì sao siêu đô thị tiếp tục phình to & cách quản lý

In many nations, the largest cities are expanding at a far greater rate than the rest of the country. This is largely because economic opportunities and investment tend to concentrate in places that are already large, and I believe governments can manage the trend most effectively not by restricting movement but by making smaller cities more attractive alternatives.

The main reason for this imbalance is that large cities offer a scale of opportunity that smaller places cannot match. Major companies, universities and government offices cluster together, which means that a young graduate in a specialised field may find dozens of suitable jobs in the capital and almost none at home. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: as more skilled people arrive, businesses have even stronger reasons to locate there, and investment in infrastructure follows the population. A second factor is the quality of services. Hospitals, schools and transport networks in provincial towns are often under-funded, so families who move to the city are frequently seeking a better future for their children as much as higher wages.

Given these causes, attempts to discourage migration directly are unlikely to succeed and may simply push newcomers into informal housing. A more promising approach is to address the concentration of opportunity itself. Governments could relocate some public agencies and state-owned enterprises to secondary cities, which would create stable jobs and signal long-term commitment to private investors. At the same time, improving the quality of regional hospitals and universities would reduce one of the main reasons people leave. Neither measure is cheap, and relocation can meet resistance from staff, but both target the underlying drivers rather than the symptoms. Better transport links between large and medium-sized cities would also allow people to benefit from the capital's economy without needing to live in it.

In conclusion, large cities grow rapidly because opportunity and good services are concentrated there. The most effective response is therefore to spread those advantages more evenly, so that moving to the capital becomes a choice rather than a necessity.

Subject: Proposal – shared calendar for site visits

Hi Ms Hoa,

At the moment, two teams sometimes book the same client visit, mainly because bookings are made in separate spreadsheets. I'd like to propose moving all visits to one shared calendar with a simple booking form. The trade-off is about an hour of set-up and a short briefing for each team. If you agree, I could set up a trial for our department from 1 December and report back at the end of the month.

Best regards, Tuan