HCMC aims for international super city
On October 30, at the "Meeting Conference between the city's leaders and the foreign-invested business community in 2025", Mr. Tran Phu Lu - Director of the City's Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) said that FDI enterprises have contributed not only in advanced capital, technology, and governance but also spread the spirit of integration, creativity, and sustainable development. Despite difficulties, investors still show confidence in the dynamic and demanding investment environment of Ho Chi Minh City - a source of motivation to help the city continue to improve institutions, supporting businesses to develop sustainably.
Mr. Truong Minh Huy Vu - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies emphasized that the merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau is an unprecedented turning point, opening up opportunities to comprehensively reshape the development space, shaping the "new Ho Chi Minh City" - a special administrative - economic entities, pioneering the country, towards the "international super city" of Southeast Asia.
The city focuses on five groups of strategic solutions: perfecting institutions, transforming growth models, developing strategic infrastructure, attracting investment and developing human resources. From 2026, Ho Chi Minh City will deploy free periodic health check-ups and establish electronic health books for people, aiming to have no more poor households according to city standards by 2030.
Accelerating investment attraction and restructuring development space
According to the Department of Finance, the city is oriented to compete with the leading super urban areas in the region, developing according to 5 breakthroughs: Thu Thiem International Financial Center; Smart urban chain in the Southeast region; Innovation corridor from Thu Duc to industrial parks - seaports; Smart port - logistics cluster in Cai Mep - Thi Vai - Can Gio; and ecotourism center, high-end resorts Vung Tau - Can Gio.
Ho Chi Minh City makes the most of the specific mechanisms according to Resolutions 98/2023 and 222/2025, calling for investment in 20 key projects in finance, big data, semiconductor chips, AI, biotechnology, logistics, renewable energy and urban railways. Notable projects include Can Gio International Transit Port (571 ha), Cai Mep Ha Logistics Center (906 ha) and 8 offshore wind power projects with a total capacity of 15,000MW.
According to Mr. Truong Trung Kien - Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Architecture, Ho Chi Minh City restructures the space according to the mindset of "extreme - integrated - super connected", operating according to the economic - functional - value chain logic. The development model of "1 space - 3 regions + 1 special zone" includes: core Ho Chi Minh City was formerly the financial - high-tech capital; Binh Duong is the high-tech industrial capital; Ba Ria - Vung Tau is the center of marine economy, wind energy and international ports; Con Dao is a special zone for tourism - resorts - spirituality.
Regarding transport infrastructure, Ho Chi Minh City aims to increase the proportion of transportation land to 16-26%, prioritizing the development of public transport (TOD), logistics and railways. The network of 27 urban railway lines with a total length of more than 1,000 km, of which Ho Chi Minh City has 12 routes (582 km), connecting with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, creating a large-scale inter-regional transport network, the foundation for a regional super-urban connection.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the forum is not just a one-time event, but will become an annual activity - where the government and businesses meet, exchange, share and find real solutions together. Ho Chi Minh City always considers businesses as the center, the driving force for development, committed to protecting legitimate rights, removing difficulties, creating an open investment environment, reducing costs and time for businesses.
"The success of FDI enterprises is a measure of the city's operational capacity and investment environment. We respect each idea and commitment, considering it a belief in the future of a innovative Vietnam, a dynamic - creative and humane city" - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee emphasized.
