After nearly 2.5 years since its establishment, what obstacles does Thu Duc City still face?

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Internal Affairs has just reported to the City People's Committee on the situation of Thu Duc City after nearly 2.5 years since its establishment.

Thu Duc City was established by a decision of the National Assembly Standing Committee at the end of 2020, based on the merger of three districts: District 2, District 9, and Thu Duc District.

On January 1, 2021, Resolution 111 of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly officially came into effect. Thu Duc became the first city in Vietnam to be classified as a "city within a city directly under the Central Government".

Thu Duc City is expected to contribute one-third of Ho Chi Minh City's gross regional product (GRDP), equivalent to about 7% of the country's total gross domestic product (GDP).

According to the Department of Internal Affairs, after its establishment, Thu Duc City has stabilized its organizational structure, strengthened its understanding of the thoughts and aspirations of officials, civil servants, and employees following the merger. Simultaneously, it continues to review, develop, and implement directives from the Thu Duc City Party Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. Thu Duc City maintains regular operations, minimizing the impact on the activities of agencies and the daily lives of its citizens.

However, the Department of Internal Affairs recognizes that the practical operation of Thu Duc City under the new model has posed significant demands and challenges in directing, managing, and administering state affairs in areas such as planning, planning management, land, environment, national defense and security, and addressing social issues.

In particular, it is crucial to develop and optimize the resources, potential, and strengths of Thu Duc City. This requires Thu Duc City to be provided with more favorable operating mechanisms from the central government and Ho Chi Minh City to ensure efficient operation under the "city within a city" urban government model, the first of its kind in the country.

On the other hand, the decentralization and delegation of authority to Thu Duc City, although receiving significant attention from Ho Chi Minh City leaders, is still lagging behind current task requirements; the arrangement and placement of officials, civil servants, and public employees (especially leading and managerial civil servants) after the merger face many difficulties and obstacles.

Thu Duc City has not yet been able to proactively secure resources for development as planned and targeted. A high percentage of revenue sources are outside the local government's jurisdiction, such as import and export taxes and port operations; the proportion of revenue allocated to the local budget from industrial and commercial tax activities accounts for only 18%...

Therefore, it is proposed that the National Assembly issue a Resolution to apply, for a limited period during the administrative unit reorganization phase, certain specific mechanisms and policies under the National Assembly's authority, such as: specifying details related to budget allocation for administrative units undergoing reorganization; maintaining the number of deputy heads in some agencies, etc.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chinh-tri/sau-gan-25-thanh-lap-tp-thu-duc-con-vuong-gi-20230522184420156.htm