Turning Ho Chi Minh City into a creative super city

The draft resolution replacing Resolution 98/2023 on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City has been approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee and is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly at this 10th session.

Ho Chi Minh City determined to become a creative super city - Photo: VAN TRUNG

Experts and National Assembly delegates all agreed on the proposal to decentralize and empower Ho Chi Minh City more strongly, creating maximum initiative for the city in attracting investment and strategic investors.

Help the city leapfrog in status

With the vision of Ho Chi Minh City becoming a creative super city, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Khuong (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy - National University of Singapore) proposed three criteria for grouping fields according to goals to attract strategic investors.

The first group is the areas that create spillover and system resonance, focusing on industries that can promote growth. Contributing to reducing system costs, increasing productivity and upgrading the value chain.

The second group, fields that embrace new technology trends (industries of the future such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors...). Aiming at industries that have the potential to create breakthrough growth momentum in the next 5 - 10 - 20 years; associated with pioneering technology, new business models and new generation global value chains.

The third group, according to him, is the strategic essential sectors to increase resilience and self-reliance. These include sectors that play a vital role in regional and national economic security, help reduce the risk of supply chain disruption, strengthen self-reliance in energy - food - health - data, and enhance long-term resilience.

To focus on attracting strategic investors to the city, he emphasized that institutions are the "key". It is necessary to focus on amending Resolution 98 to become Resolution 98-2.0. It is possible to study the establishment of the City Development Agency. In fact, it is possible to refer to the model of DDRC in China, EDB in Singapore, IDA in Ireland.

He proposed 5 contents to upgrade Resolution 98. Among them, he proposed to establish the Southeast Inter-regional Development Agency. At the same time, he committed that strategic investors in Ho Chi Minh City would enjoy incentives at a competitive level with Singapore, Dubai, Ireland and China's Free Trade Zones.

Special incentives are given to strategic investors in the fields of high technology, healthcare, logistics, advanced and basic infrastructure, finance, AI and digital economy. At the same time, mechanisms are applied to attract talent (visa, personal income tax), R&D and education incentives (top universities)...

Next, allow Ho Chi Minh City to create new sources of revenue associated with endogenous development. Allow boldly piloting the sandbox mechanism. Establish a "companionship and co-creation" mechanism in developing the city and ecosystem with 20-50 leading corporations in the world in strategic fields...

Singapore's experience shows that this mechanism helps Ho Chi Minh City make a great leap forward in position and ability to seize opportunities and execute.

Vietnam's "Institutional Laboratory"

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cung, former Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, recommended that Ho Chi Minh City needs a real "institutional testing sandbox" instead of specific mechanisms and policies like Resolution 98. This would allow the city to test and flexibly adjust development policies, linked to a mechanism for periodic risk assessment and monitoring.

This is to make Ho Chi Minh City truly become Vietnam's "institutional laboratory", leading national innovation and development.

Specifically, Mr. Cung proposed at least some contents, including specifically defining the areas that are allowed to be tested, these areas must closely follow the basic development issues and strategic orientation of Ho Chi Minh City's development. This can be called limiting the scope of testing.

The second is to determine the expected results to be achieved for the above mentioned test areas. There are short-term results of 2-3 years, medium-term results of 5-7 years and long-term results of 7-10 years).

He also proposed that the Ho Chi Minh City government could be given full authority to regulate and decide on the methods, tools for implementation, and the entire implementation organization, selection, and remuneration of human resources. All of these could be different from and outside the current legal system.

In addition, Ho Chi Minh City has the right to flexibly adjust and make necessary changes if it finds that the approach has not achieved the goal. The approach here is very flexible, adjusting to achieve the goal.

Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Research on Industry and Trade, Le Hai An, proposed the need to create a new generation Free Trade Zone model linked to the Can Gio international transit port and Cai Mep Ha area.

Establish a non-tariff strategic investment support fund mechanism with flexible implementation capabilities. Develop a 48-hour "fast-track" administrative process with an exemption mechanism for enforcement officers.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Chinh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of CMC Corporation, proposed many contents to upgrade Resolution 98. In particular, expanding the list of priority industries to attract strategic investors with the proposal to add key technology fields such as data centers, cloud computing, AI, IoT, network security and submarine fiber optic cable infrastructure.

According to Mr. Chinh, it is necessary to add land incentives to attract strategic investors to the city. Research to expand the scope of land acquisition for projects in the priority list to attract strategic investors, simplify land allocation procedures.

Delegate HOANG VAN CUONG (Hanoi):

Awakening the spirit of dynamism and creativity

Besides space, Ho Chi Minh City must have its own sky to inspire the spirit of dynamism, creativity, daring to think, daring to do. However, in Resolution 98 and the current new draft, we are trying to tailor a new shirt for the city that is wider than the whole country and can have more bodies and arms.

However, will it be tight after many years, and is it really suitable? Therefore, instead of making the shirt, we should give Ho Chi Minh City the materials such as "fabric, thread, technology" so that the city can make it itself.

I propose to review all articles in the draft resolution to see which are still binding on special mechanisms. In other words, special mechanisms that must comply with the law should be removed immediately.

As the draft states, many of the proposed contents of the City are implemented but comply with legal regulations. This leads to the story of having to ask for permission again. Therefore, it is necessary to review and if any regulations are followed, it is necessary to clearly state.

The replacement resolution needs to be built in the right spirit of setting out principles, regulations, statutes, requirements... Then, let Ho Chi Minh City determine based on the principles instead of listing them.

It is also possible to research to give Ho Chi Minh City the ability to create a new institution to serve as a model for the whole country to follow. In fact, Ho Chi Minh City has done this very well many years ago.

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THANH CHUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dua-tp-hcm-tro-thanh-sieu-do-thi-sang-tao-2025113007213361.htm