Prominent is the Central Square and Administrative - Political Center complex at Thu Thiem New Urban Area with a total capital of nearly 30,000 billion VND, implemented according to PPP method (BT contract), expected to be implemented in the period 2026 - 2028.
The Administrative Center area is expected to have a total floor area of about 272,000m2, serving about 8,000 officials and civil servants, and at the same time meeting the transaction needs of 1,500 - 2,000 people and businesses per day. The central square has a maximum capacity of about 268,000 people for political events and can reach 500,000 people when organizing cultural festivals.
According to Dr., architect Ngo Viet Nam Son, placing the Administrative Center in Thu Thiem New Urban Area is a correct and strategic step. This decision not only meets the management requirements of the super-urban area of more than 14 million people after the merger, but also creates a boost to promote Thu Thiem's development.
Focusing administrative activities in Thu Thiem will improve operational efficiency, especially for large-scale, inter-sectoral and unprecedented projects such as Long Thanh airport urban area, Cai Mep Ha free trade area, TOD urban areas along the metro or the Thi Vai - Cai Mep - Can Gio port urban chain. With the characteristics of a megacity, in addition to the center in Thu Thiem, Ho Chi Minh City needs to develop a network of public service points with wide distribution, digital connection, helping people access conveniently without having to travel far. Also according to Mr. Son, the Administrative Center needs to be synchronously planned with the International Financial Center and the Culture - Entertainment Center in Thu Thiem. These three pillars will complement each other, forming a modern and dynamic urban core.
In the same Thu Thiem area, the city will start construction of Metro Line No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem section) with a total capital of nearly 46.300 billion VND. The line is about 6km long, completely underground from Ben Thanh station along the Ham Nghi axis, crossing the Saigon River to Thu Thiem, then running along Mai Chi Tho street to Thu Thiem station.
This is an important section in the overall Metro Line No. 2, more than 62km long, connecting Ben Thanh - Tham Luong and extending to the Northwest Cu Chi Urban Area. Currently, the Ben Thanh - Tham Luong section has started construction in January 2026, expected to be completed in 2030. The Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem section also aims to be completed at the same time, contributing to completing the urban railway network and strengthening inter-regional connectivity.
Another notable project is the renovation of Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi port area combined with the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh Museum relic site, with a total capital of more than 20,000 billion VND, implemented in the form of PPP.
In phase 1, the Ho Chi Minh Museum area will be expanded to about 11ha, nearly 10 times larger than it is now, expected to be inaugurated on September 2. In parallel, Nguyen Tat Thanh street will be expanded to at least 8 lanes, combined with building a new Tan Thuan 1 bridge. The remaining area of the port area will be planned into a multi-functional park, community space, passenger port and resettlement area.
In the Northwest region, Ho Chi Minh City will start construction of the International University Urban Area in Xuan Thoi Son commune, with a scale of about 880ha and a total capital of about 59,000 billion VND. When completed, the urban area is expected to meet a population scale of about 135,000 people and about 60,000 students.
In addition to the commencement projects, on April 29, Ho Chi Minh City will award a decision approving the investor to implement the Can Gio International Transshipment Port project. The total investment capital of the project is about 128.872 billion VND (equivalent to 4.99 billion USD). The designed capacity is expected to reach 4.8 million TEUs by 2030, and 16.9 million TEUs by 2047.
Dr. Tran Quang Thang - Director of the Institute of Economics and Management of Ho Chi Minh City - said that Ho Chi Minh City simultaneously starting 4 large projects on April 30th not only has the meaning of purely infrastructure investment but also shows an important shift in urban development thinking.
According to Mr. Thang, the construction of the administrative - political center in Thu Thiem will help restructure the urban space, form a new modern central core, and at the same time improve management efficiency when agencies are concentrated instead of being dispersed as they are now. Meanwhile, the Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem metro line plays a "backbone" role connecting the two urban banks, promoting the development of public transport and creating momentum for the formation of compact urban areas along the line.
From a cultural - social perspective, the project to renovate Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi port area combined with expanding the Ho Chi Minh Museum is expected to revive the space along the Saigon River, turning this place into a symbolic cultural - tourist destination, and expanding public space for people.
