On the afternoon of October 14, within the framework of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Party Congress, term 2025 - 2030, the delegates held a group discussion.
Earlier, on the same morning, giving a speech directing the Congress, General Secretary To Lam suggested that Ho Chi Minh City overcome existing problems such as traffic congestion, flooding due to climate change, and air pollution.
Speaking at discussion group No. 3, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc said that he had met with central leaders and promised the Prime Minister that by 2035, he would be determined to solve the problem of traffic jams and flooding.
Regarding the issue of air pollution, Mr. Duoc admitted that it is difficult to handle it thoroughly but it will be reduced.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc, in the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City will focus on investing heavily in belt routes. According to the plan, the city will have three belt routes with a total length of more than 360 km.
Currently, Ring Road 2 is being completed, Ring Road 3 is being accelerated and Ring Road 4 is expected to start construction in 2026.
At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City will develop an external transportation system connecting the region, including expanding National Highway 1, National Highway 13, National Highway 22, Vo Van Kiet Street extending to Tay Ninh, along with the Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai, Ho Chi Minh City - Chon Thanh expressway projects...
These are routes of special significance, not only for Ho Chi Minh City but also for the entire key economic region in the South, Mr. Duoc emphasized.
Regarding urban railways, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee said that Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) has been completed and put into operation, while the next lines are being promoted for investment.
Since the Central Government allowed the application of the private investment mechanism, many large corporations have registered to participate in the development of the metro network, opening up expectations for a breakthrough in the city's public transport infrastructure.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc believes that when roads, belt routes, external roads and metro are synchronized, Ho Chi Minh City will have a smooth and modern transportation system.
Speaking at discussion group No. 1, Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang said that this term the city will focus all resources to strongly develop the urban railway system, considering this the almost only solution to completely solve the traffic jam problem.
To speed up the progress of 12 metro lines in this term, Mr. Tran Luu Quang noted that compensation and site clearance are key factors that determine the progress.
"Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has established 19 special teams to each locality to remove obstacles, ensure compensation progress, and hand over land for key projects" - Mr. Tran Luu Quang informed.
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction Tran Quang Lam said that the city is focusing on developing transport infrastructure, preventing traffic jams, preventing flooding and promoting green transportation.
According to Mr. Lam, to achieve real results, planning, plans, capital sources and implementation organizations must be implemented clearly, synchronously and feasibly.
It is expected that in the next 5 years, Ho Chi Minh City will need more than 3 million billion VND to invest in infrastructure, while the budget will only cover about 1 million billion VND.
Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City needs to take advantage of land funds to attract investment in the form of BT (build - transfer), combined with flexible mechanisms to mobilize more social resources.
