Developing Ho Chi Minh City requires long-term companionship from the community of experts, businesses and people.

The process of building and developing the super city of Ho Chi Minh City not only focuses on removing bottlenecks and exploiting new development space, but also on improving the city's international competitiveness.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee - appreciates the opinions and suggestions of experts and readers, and will soon turn Ho Chi Minh City into the center of industrial and commercial development of the whole region - Photo: QUANG DINH

This was affirmed by Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee - at the closing conference of the Ho Chi Minh City Industry and Trade Development Forum, held on September 23 at Rex Saigon Hotel.

After nearly two months of launching, the Ho Chi Minh City Industry and Trade Development Forum organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade in coordination with Tuoi Tre Newspaper and UEH.ISB Talent School has attracted more than 150 opinions from experts, businesses, researchers, individuals and organizations.

The Organizing Committee has compiled information, documents, and outstanding suggestions from experts, scientists , management agencies, businesses, and people to advise the City People's Committee as a practical contribution to breakthrough solutions for the development of industry - trade - services of Ho Chi Minh City after the merger and entering a new era of the country.

Realize the suggestions soon

Attending the program were Mr. Dang Minh Thong - Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Mr. Pham Thanh Kien, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee...

Speaking at the closing workshop of the "Ho Chi Minh City Industry and Trade Development Forum", Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, highly appreciated the efforts of the Department of Industry and Trade, Tuoi Tre newspaper and UEH.ISB Talent School in organizing the forum, creating a space for frank and responsible suggestions.

According to the Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, the administrative merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau has opened a historic turning point, bringing Ho Chi Minh City into a new period of development with the expectation of becoming an internationally competitive industrial - commercial - service megacity. However, the city also faces many challenges such as unsynchronized planning, incomplete infrastructure, limited regional connectivity and the impact of climate change.

In that context, the city government respectfully acknowledged more than 150 opinions and suggestions from experts, businesses, associations and people. In particular, 31 typical suggestions were voted by the Council, focusing on removing bottlenecks, exploiting new development space and enhancing the city's international competitiveness.

Prominent ideas mentioned include turning Ho Chi Minh City into a "development epicenter" (Professor Vu Minh Khuong), developing "two strategic service clusters" (Professor Nguyen Trong Hoai), building a "Southeast Asia Silicon Valley" (Dr. Vo Xuan Hoai) or a regional medical center (Doctor Vo Anh Tuan).

"After the workshop, the city will direct the Department of Industry and Trade to coordinate with Tuoi Tre newspaper and relevant units to quickly systematize and provide specific advice to turn suggestions into actions," Mr. Cuong emphasized, while calling for long-term companionship from the expert community, businesses and people.

According to the city's leaders, with the joint efforts of the entire political system, businesses and people, the goal of turning Ho Chi Minh City into a leading economic, financial, technological and service center in Southeast Asia will soon come true.

Choosing a model for the megacity of Ho Chi Minh City

Mr. Dinh Hong Ky, Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City Business Association (HUBA), presented a paper on Building a Ho Chi Minh City supply chain linked to the global supply chain - Photo: QUANG DINH

At the workshop, experts also said that with its pressured leading position, Ho Chi Minh City also has great development momentum.

The problem now is that Vietnam does not have a truly strong global competitive coordinate, deep integration, and no true competitive coordinate. There are some localities that have risen up such as Hai Phong and Hanoi, but Ho Chi Minh City will be the new coordinate in the future.

Compared to the 6 cities in the country, Ho Chi Minh City is "unrivaled", but compared to the megacities of Asia, Ho Chi Minh City's position is still inferior in many aspects. Which megacities and models should Ho Chi Minh City choose to compete and surpass?

Mr. Dinh Hong Ky, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association (HUBA), also emphasized that after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City will not only be large in space and population, but will also be an urban area with the leading economic scale in the country, carrying great potential and expectations of the people of the whole country.

According to Mr. Ky, the most important thing for Ho Chi Minh City is to own a port - industrial - logistics ecosystem connecting from the urban service center to the key industrial park in the Southeast region and the international deep-sea gateway. "This will be the premise to redesign the supply chain according to global standards, instead of just improving each stage of transportation or customs clearance locally," Mr. Ky said, adding that Ho Chi Minh City's supply chain has great potential and needs to be improved to meet international standards and participate in the global supply chain.

Analyzing further, Mr. Ky said that the localities in the new Ho Chi Minh City after the merger will form a strategic triangle, with Ho Chi Minh City as the center for coordinating services, finance, and innovation, and Binh Duong as the capital of high-tech industry, ICD logistics, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau as a deep-water port, marine economy, and renewable energy. From here, Ho Chi Minh City will change from a "growth pole" to a "super supply chain".

Mr. Ky also noted that the current global instability also forces supply chains to be built shorter, more flexible, and greener, with challenges for Ho Chi Minh City including US tariffs and green standards.

"The US's reciprocal tax shock from August 2025 on Vietnamese goods is a clear reminder: we cannot just be "assembly factories" but must increase the proportion of domestic value, raise ESG/CBAM standards and proactively finance the supply chain," said Mr. Ky.

According to HUBA Vice President, Ho Chi Minh City will need to pay attention to 3 development pillars for the new supply chain, one of which is "super-connected" logistics, including inter-regional belts 3-4, expressways, and the expansion and standardization of Cat Lai and Cai Mep - Thi Vai port connections, along with the Binh Duong/Dong Nai ICD network, along with inter-regional railways/metros and dedicated logistics roads to help move bulk cargo, refrigerated cargo, and e-commerce fulfillment.

Ho Chi Minh City leaders receive a book of 31 outstanding proposals voted by the Council - Photo: QUANG DINH

The city needs to pay attention to planning and integrating infrastructure, including determining a connection map to ports and airports; establishing a green logistics corridor; standardizing ICDs and freight railways. Along with that is completing the ICD network and planning an aviation logistics complex in Long Thanh.

Regarding FTZ implementation, the city needs to develop separate operating regulations for each FTZ (export processing, ICD, railway), connect them together using a digital logistics data platform and build a one-stop customs system for 4 FTZs; pilot digital logistics: e-BL, e-CMR, e-invoice, priority enterprises/green channel mechanism.

"Decentralization and empowerment for Ho Chi Minh City to decide on a number of logistics taxes, industrial land planning, and investment incentive policies in FTZs will be the basis for the city to have new breakthroughs," Mr. Ky proposed.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phat-trien-tp-hcm-can-su-dong-hanh-lau-dai-cua-cong-dong-chuyen-gia-doanh-nghiep-va-nguoi-dan-20250923111626812.htm