Proposing a special mechanism to extend the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to Dong Nai

(Dan Tri) - Delegate Trinh Xuan An proposed adding a special mechanism to extend the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to Dong Nai, connect to Long Thanh airport, expand regional connectivity and create development space for Ho Chi Minh City.

On the morning of December 8, discussing the amendment and supplementation of a number of articles of Resolution 98 on piloting special mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City, many National Assembly deputies said that Ho Chi Minh City is entering a phase that requires institutions to "go one step ahead" long enough, to create development space for the megacity of more than 14 million people, while expanding regional connectivity space.

New institutional space for a megacity of 14 million people

Delegate Pham Trong Nhan (HCMC) commented that the decisions of the 15th National Assembly term are showing efforts to reshape the institutional foundation for the country's new development stage.

"Planning, land, government organization, public investment, environment, energy, and digital transformation - all are being rearranged to better suit the scale and complexity of the economy . In that context, specific mechanisms are not only for each locality but are part of a systematic reform flow," he analyzed.

Delegate Pham Trong Nhan (HCMC) (Photo: Media QH).

According to him, Ho Chi Minh City is the place that feels the need for institutional innovation most clearly, because any bottlenecks in land, planning or procedures immediately impact production, employment, capital flow and people's lives.

"Resolution 98 is therefore not only a special mechanism but also a test of the apparatus's implementation capacity - where the National Assembly shows its trust in empowering, and the city shows its ability to explain through results," said delegate Nhan.

He stressed that an improved procedure can help thousands of administrative decisions be resolved more quickly; a resolved problem can open the way for capital flows and jobs for tens of thousands of people. With its complexity, Ho Chi Minh City is the "institutional laboratory" for the National Assembly to measure the vitality and feasibility of new policies.

In the long term, he believes that the revised Resolution 98 is an important practical preparation step for the formation of the Law on Super Cities, in which Ho Chi Minh City will contribute with its own practical experience - both successes and challenges.

Proposal to supplement mechanism for Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro

Agreeing with the viewpoint of delegate Pham Trong Nhan, from the perspective of regional connectivity, delegate Trinh Xuan An ( Dong Nai ) especially emphasized the close relationship between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai - where Long Thanh airport and many key national projects are being implemented.

"I propose adding the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line extending through Dong Nai's administrative center and connecting directly to Long Thanh airport to the list of projects that are subject to special mechanisms like the Ho Chi Minh City urban railway," he said.

Delegate Trinh Xuan An (Dong Nai) (Photo: Media QH).

According to the analysis of Dong Nai province delegates, if Long Thanh airport is not well connected with Ho Chi Minh City, it will not be able to connect with T3 and will not solve many development problems. The expansion of Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro to Dong Nai will not only promote regional connectivity but also create a resonance effect for industrial, service and logistics development of the entire Southeast region.

He proposed to add Clause 4, Article 3 of Resolution 98, applying the TOD model (public transport-oriented urban development model), capital mechanism and investment mechanism for railway lines connecting to Ho Chi Minh City such as: Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien (extended), Tham Luong - Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem and other urban railway lines if there is a direct connection with the city.

Delegates also said that it is time to study and develop a separate Law for Ho Chi Minh City, similar to the Capital Law, to integrate all the characteristics and create a stable and long-term legal corridor for the megacity.

Proposal to increase "creative space" for Ho Chi Minh City

From an institutional perspective, delegate Hoang Van Cuong affirmed that the draft Resolution amending and supplementing a number of articles of Resolution 98 is still "not strong enough" for Ho Chi Minh City to truly make a breakthrough. He made three recommendations.

First, administrative constraints that prevent the special mechanism from operating should be removed.

"Currently, many regulations in the draft require the HCMC People's Council to comply with current laws, making the above mechanisms meaningless because in the end, they still have to do the same thing," he said.

Second, do not list the priority projects in a rigid list. According to him, the rigid list will be obsolete as soon as the resolution is passed. The appropriate approach is to stipulate the principles and criteria, and leave the project list to the HCMC People's Council to decide.

Third, give the HCMC People's Council the right to apply a mechanism different from the current law in some cases. Hanoi's Resolution has applied a similar mechanism according to Resolution 26 of the National Assembly. Adding this provision will help HCMC have new management tools, enough space for creativity and truly become a pilot model for institutional reform.

Delegate Hoang Van Cuong (Hanoi) (Photo: Media QH).

Delegate Pham Trong Nhan said that empowering Ho Chi Minh City is not about making a difference, but about adding a development engine for the country. According to him, if Ho Chi Minh City slows down, the regional and national momentum will also find it difficult to accelerate; if the city breaks through, productivity and competitiveness of the entire Southeast, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions will all be raised.

"The City accepts this Resolution as a mission. The City understands that responsibility cannot be answered with promises alone; empowering is giving responsibility. And responsibility can only be meaningful when answered with results in people's lives.

The city does not ask to go first, but is ready to go first if that is what the country needs and is allowed by the National Assembly," concluded a delegate from Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/de-xuat-co-che-dac-thu-keo-dai-metro-ben-thanh-suoi-tien-ve-dong-nai-20251208132256787.htm