To become a Super City: What priorities does Ho Chi Minh City need?

VTV.vn - At the Meeting with City Leaders and the FDI business community, Ho Chi Minh City affirmed its aspiration to become a regional megacity, with GRDP of 123 billion USD.

At the Meeting with City Leaders and the FDI business community, Ho Chi Minh City affirmed its aspiration to soon become a super city in the region.

On the morning of October 30, 2025, at the Meeting with City Leaders and the FDI business community, Ho Chi Minh City affirmed its aspiration to soon become a megacity in the region, with GRDP of 123 billion USD. What strategic priorities does Ho Chi Minh City need to achieve this goal?

New vision, new opportunities

The Meeting between City Leaders and the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Enterprise Community in 2025 is not only a dialogue forum, but also a strategic declaration of Ho Chi Minh City in the new context. After merging the development space with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau , the City is growing into a special administrative-economic entity, with a total area of ​​6,773 km² and a population of about 14 million people.

This is an unprecedented turning point, as Mr. Truong Minh Huy Vu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, emphasized: "This event opens up an opportunity to comprehensively restructure the development space, shaping the new Ho Chi Minh City into a pioneering mission, leading and spreading to the whole country, with the vision of an international megacity of Southeast Asia."

The economic strength of the new megacity is demonstrated through impressive figures. The consolidated GRDP is estimated at 3.03 quadrillion VND, equivalent to 123 billion USD, accounting for 23.5% of the country's GDP, while the GRDP per capita reaches 8,944 USD, 1.7 times higher than the national average. The national budget contribution is up to 737 trillion VND, accounting for 36.7% of total revenue, affirming its leading position.

The FDI business community, strategic partners, is the key driving force to promote the development of Ho Chi Minh City.

The FDI business community, strategic partners, is the key driving force. Mr. Tran Phu Lu, Director of the City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), affirmed: "FDI enterprises not only bring capital, technology, advanced management, but also spread the spirit of integration, innovation and sustainable development." Despite facing difficulties, the confidence of FDI enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City's dynamic and open-minded investment environment remains steadfast, urging the City to improve administrative procedure reform and support sustainable development.

The conference's theme "Ho Chi Minh City Megacity: Sustainable Development with New Opportunities" is a call to action, where the government shares socio-economic orientations and listens to practical experiences from associations such as AmCham, EuroCham, JETRO. These recommendations are not just opinions, but a guideline to improve competitiveness, turning Ho Chi Minh City into a regional and international economic, financial, service, trade, logistics, high-tech industry and sea tourism center.

Five strategic solutions need to be prioritized

To turn the megacity aspiration into reality, Ho Chi Minh City needs to prioritize five groups of strategic solutions, focusing on institutional improvement and infrastructure development. First of all, institutional improvement must be a breakthrough spearhead, surpassing the current legal framework. The city is committed to proposing specific mechanisms, such as Resolution 98/2023/QH15 with 44 policies and Resolution 222/2025/QH15 on the International Financial Center, while removing bottlenecks in real estate, capital and renewable energy.

Building a legal framework for digital transformation is vital, especially when FDI business associations recommend simplifying administrative procedures and improving transparency in investment licensing, land, customs and visas. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Toan, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance, emphasized: "Ho Chi Minh City has just affirmed its leading position in attracting FDI, but it needs an autonomous mechanism to apply international practices to build a regionally competitive international financial center, focusing on green finance, FinTech and innovation."

Strategic infrastructure is the second priority, determining the vitality of the megacity. With the model of "1 space - 3 regions - 1 special zone", the City re-architects the space according to the "multipolar - integrated - super-connected" mindset: the old city core area becomes the financial - high-tech capital; Binh Duong becomes the high-tech industrial capital; Ba Ria - Vung Tau becomes the marine economic capital with offshore wind energy and a free trade zone; Con Dao Special Zone focuses on eco-tourism.

The city will develop along 9 radial axes and corridors along the Saigon River and the coast, with 28 key development areas covering an area of ​​nearly 18,400 hectares.

Mr. Truong Trung Kien, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Architecture, Ho Chi Minh City, said that based on Decision 1125/QD-TTg approving the Project to adjust the Master Plan to 2040, vision 2060: The city will develop along 9 radial axes and corridors along the Saigon River and the coast, with 28 key development areas covering an area of ​​nearly 18,400 hectares, from industrial urban areas to logistics and central parks. Traffic infrastructure must reach a traffic land ratio of 16-26% on urban land, prioritizing public transport (TOD) and logistics.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thach, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Investment Preparation Board, revealed that the network of 27 urban railway lines is 1,012 km long, of which 12 lines in the old city are 582 km long, connecting Long Thanh airport and Cai Mep - Thi Vai port. Key projects such as Can Gio Transit Port (571 ha), Cai Mep Ha Logistics Center (906 ha), 8 offshore wind power projects of 15,000 MW, and the 350 km urban railway need to strongly mobilize PPP to break through.

In addition, human resource development and social sustainability are indispensable priorities. The city aims for a Human Development Index (HDI) of over 0.8, a college and university workforce of 24% by 2030, and 35% of students pursuing science and technology. From 2026, free annual health check-ups and electronic health records will improve social security, aiming to eliminate poor households according to the city's standards by 2030.

FDI associations emphasize training in digital, green, AI, FinTech skills according to IFRS, ESG standards, while promoting circular economy and renewable energy. Total social spending on R&D reaching 2-3% of GRDP will nurture the startup ecosystem from Thu Duc to the industrial - seaport pole. Five breakthroughs - from Thu Thiem Financial Center, Southeast smart urban chain, innovation corridor, Cai Mep - Can Gio port - logistics cluster, to Vung Tau - Can Gio tourism - will attract 20 key projects, from semiconductor chips, AI to super large data centers.

Experts also believe that the super city of Ho Chi Minh City is not just a dream, but a mission that requires drastic action. With the support of FDI enterprises and breakthrough policies, the City will reach new heights and contribute to the completion of the set goals.

Ho Chi Minh City targets average GRDP growth of 10-11%/year in 2025-2030

- By 2030, GRDP per capita is expected to be 14,000-15,000 USD, aiming to be in the top 100 best cities in the world by 2045.

- The city leads in attracting FDI: total effective capital of 141.215 billion USD with 19,840 projects, and the first nine months of 2025 recorded 7.127 billion USD of new capital, an increase of 37.43% over the same period in 2024.

Source: https://vtv.vn/de-tro-thanh-sieu-do-thi-tp-ho-chi-minh-can-nhung-uu-tien-nao-100251030095720008.htm