Speakers in the discussion session - Photo: QUANG DINH
At the seminar "Driving force for industrial development in Ho Chi Minh City - From potential to action" on July 17, experts, businesses and management leaders shared the same opinion that if the city's industry wants to grow dramatically, it needs to dare to think differently and do differently.
"Reverse problem solving" thinking
According to Dr. Tran Du Lich - Chairman of the Advisory Council for the implementation of Resolution 98, to achieve a double-digit industrial growth rate in the next 5 years, Ho Chi Minh City cannot follow the old model. "We have to do the reverse math, imagine what Vietnam will be like in 2030 and 2045, and from there determine the current path to take," said Mr. Lich.
He warned that if Ho Chi Minh City continues to rely on cheap labor and the traditional model, the risk of falling into the middle-income trap is very clear. New industries must add value, based on green transformation, digital transformation and high-tech applications.
According to Dr. Tran Du Lich, it is necessary to redistribute space and build an industrial - service - seaport belt. He believes that the expanded space after the merger is an opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to "redraw the map" of industrial development.
With more than 8,000 hectares of existing industrial land and 1,000 hectares of high-tech zones, Ho Chi Minh City needs to allocate them reasonably instead of concentrating them in the central area.
Therefore, it is necessary to form an industrial, urban and service belt extending from Binh Duong to Cai Mep - Thi Vai deep-water port. At the same time, it is necessary to develop a free trade zone in Cai Mep, helping businesses in the region participate in the global supply chain more effectively.
To prepare for the "wave" of attracting businesses, it is necessary to have standard infrastructure first. From the success of industrial parks such as VSIP, Mr. Nguyen Thue Duy - Deputy General Director of Becamex Group, likened investing in industrial infrastructure to "passing the golden ball" to the right place, at the right time, and according to business needs.
Becamex's integrated industrial park model (industry - service - urban - trade) currently attracts more than 4,500 enterprises, with total FDI capital of more than billions of USD.
"We not only develop land but also build an ecosystem: technical infrastructure, logistics center, R&D center, vocational training and international connections with research institutes and universities in Singapore, Taiwan...", Mr. Duy shared at the seminar.
According to Mr. Duy, the three priority directions identified by Becamex include developing ecological industrial parks; investing in strategic traffic axes (My Phuoc - Tan Van, Ring Road 4) and connecting railway logistics to Cai Mep - Thi Vai port.
Dr. Truong Minh Huy Vu - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies - Photo: QUANG DINH
The bottleneck needs to rewrite the "connection song"
Dr. Truong Minh Huy Vu - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies - said that logistics infrastructure is the biggest "bottleneck". He compared the Long Thanh - Cai Mep route to a "disconnected song", when goods from Tan Uyen and Bau Bang clusters still have to take a detour, at high costs, and depend on road transport.
The solution, according to him, is to immediately invest in a dedicated railway serving industry, connecting key production areas to seaports.
"Without a multimodal logistics strategy, it is difficult to achieve double-digit industrial growth," Dr. Vu warned.
Another pillar emphasized by experts is the selection of strategic industries. Ho Chi Minh City needs to overcome the current "industrial catering" model to focus on developing knowledge-intensive industries such as high-tech industry, marine industry, and renewable energy.
According to Mr. Vu, the coastal route from Can Gio to Xuyen Moc can become a marine industrial chain, linked with offshore wind power, smart seaports and logistics services for mechanical energy and international trade.
Mr. Do Minh Tam - General Director of Thaco Industries - Photo: QUANG DINH
Not only discussing theory, businesses also take action. Mr. Do Minh Tam - General Director of Thaco Industries, said that Thaco has just received the decision to invest in a 75,000 billion VND mechanical industrial park in Binh Duong, which will start construction in August 2025. It is expected to be operational after only one year.
This is considered one of the largest key mechanical engineering projects in the South today, carrying the expectation of not only creating a large-scale production center, but also playing the role of a "launch pad" for the supporting industry to develop in a chain.
Thaco said the project applies the "One in One" model in a single ecosystem integrating production, R&D, heavy-duty processing, train car assembly, robots, industrial equipment... and closely linked with satellite businesses.
"We expect to create a national mechanical center that is a "magnet" to attract domestic and foreign supporting enterprises, helping to increase the localization rate and reduce import dependence," Mr. Tam affirmed.
Many businesses say that green industrial development needs to be promoted more strongly.
Mr. Nguyen The Duy - Deputy General Director of Becamex Group - Photo: QUANG DINH
Mr. Tran Anh Khoa - PV Gas Business Development Board - said that the unit's revenue in 2024 will reach VND105,000 billion, with a profit of VND3,000 billion. PV Gas supplies gas to power plants, fertilizer plants and industries. The company is currently promoting gas exports to the EU, with strict requirements on environmental certification.
Mr. Khoa suggested that Ho Chi Minh City needs to plan gas infrastructure such as electricity, water, tanks, and gas distribution stations in industrial zones. At the same time, it needs a suitable gas price policy in the early stages to encourage businesses to switch to green.
"Currently, transporting gas from Thi Vai to Binh Duong is very expensive, and better logistics infrastructure is needed," said Mr. Khoa.
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoa - Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Business Association, Chairman of the Board of Members of Ho Chi Minh City State Financial Investment Company - Photo: QUANG DINH
Businesses need clear mechanisms , capital and direction.
According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoa - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association (HUBA), businesses need three things: clear planning orientation, specific industry strategy and flexible financial mechanism. In particular, small and medium enterprises are the group "in need of capital but have the most difficulty accessing capital".
He suggested that Ho Chi Minh City should quickly establish an international financial center with its own legal framework, opening up a "playground" for non-bank capital flows, similar to the Kazakhstan model. At the same time, accelerate infrastructure investment and procedural reform so that opportunities do not slip away. "Breakthroughs cannot wait 10 years.
Enterprises need an institutional boost in capital infrastructure right now to join Ho Chi Minh City in entering a new industrial development space," Mr. Hoa emphasized.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/muon-cong-nghiep-tp-hcm-cat-canh-can-viet-lai-ban-nhac-ket-noi-20250717124406056.htm
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