Attending the Conference were Politburo members: Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh , Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; Party Central Committee members, members of the Southeast Regional Coordination Council, leaders of central ministries, branches, and leaders of localities in the Southeast region (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh).
At the conference, delegates reviewed the implementation of the goals and tasks of the Southeast Regional Coordination Council since the beginning of 2025 and especially after the rearrangement of administrative units since the beginning of July 2025; the situation and results of the implementation of Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly after 02 years since its promulgation; identified difficulties, challenges, obstacles, determined causes and drew lessons, issues raised in the coordination work of the Region after the rearrangement of administrative units, intra-regional and inter-regional coordination, coordination between ministries, branches and localities.
Along with that, assess the socio -economic situation in the first months of 2025 of Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region; review the implementation progress, promote key projects of Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region; determine directions, tasks that need to be focused on directing implementation, propose key solutions, and specific tasks in the coming time.
The scale of GRDP in the Southeast region reaches over 150 billion USD
According to reports and opinions at the Conference, after the administrative boundary arrangement, the Southeast region includes 3 provinces and cities: Ho Chi Minh City (merging Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Binh Duong), Dong Nai (merging Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc), Tay Ninh (merging Tay Ninh and Long An). The region has a particularly important position, is the economic locomotive, a growth pole for the country's development.
The (new) Southeast region has an area of over 28,000 km2; a population of nearly 21 million people; a population density of 749 people/km2; a GRDP of over 150 billion USD; state budget revenue of over 795 trillion VND (accounting for 36.3% of the country); exports of over 135 billion USD (accounting for 33.3%); the number of operating enterprises is over 381,000 (accounting for 41.4%); with nearly 23,000 FDI projects (accounting for 55.4%) with a total investment capital of over 205 billion USD (accounting for nearly 42%).
In the first 6 months of 2025, the GRDP of the Southeast region is estimated to reach 7%. Total state budget revenue is 431.5 trillion VND, reaching 57.1% of the estimate.
Exports reached 115.7 billion USD, accounting for 31% of the country; import turnover recovered, both increased compared to the same period, the whole region increased by 11%. Continuing to lead the country in the number of projects and total foreign direct investment capital (equivalent to nearly 24,000 projects and over 210 billion USD).
Meanwhile, the (new) Ho Chi Minh City was formed on the basis of merging Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau , becoming the largest "super city" in Vietnam. This merger is not simply an expansion of administrative boundaries, but lays the foundation for a new, multi-center, integrated and sustainable development model, creating the premise for Ho Chi Minh City to rise to become a leading developed urban area in the region.
The newly merged Ho Chi Minh City has a total area of 6,773 km², 2.04% of the country's area; a population of 14 million people, accounting for 13.8%; a labor force of about 7.4 million people, equivalent to 13.8%. This is a large-scale human resource, contributing to promoting the development of industry, finance, trade and services.
In terms of economy, Ho Chi Minh City's GRDP reached about 2,716 trillion VND, equivalent to 113 billion USD, accounting for 23.6% of the country's GDP. This shows that Ho Chi Minh City's economic strength is very large, an important driving force for economic growth of the whole country.
Ho Chi Minh City is a pioneer in implementing new models for development (such as developing export processing zones, industrial parks; stock exchanges, banking systems, development investment funds; software parks, high-tech zones, etc.). These innovative models have contributed significantly to helping Ho Chi Minh City make a strong breakthrough in economic and social development and international integration.
The City's GRDP increased by 6.56% in the first 6 months of 2025. Foreign investment attraction in the first 7 months reached nearly 5 billion USD, up 17.7%. Disbursement of public investment capital reached 55,913 billion VND, equivalent to 47%.
Commercial activities in the city have expanded in scale; production activities have shown signs of stability thanks to prospects for trade negotiations, domestic consumption and market diversification (export turnover in the first 7 months reached 28.51 billion USD, up 10.1%).
Total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue in the first 7 months of 2025 reached 1.1 million billion VND, up 15.5%. Total tourism revenue reached 140,305 billion VND, up 29.9% and reaching 54% of the yearly plan.
The implementation of two-level local government is being organized and implemented in a systematic and synchronous manner and is being operated stably and smoothly.
The work of ensuring social security and caring for people's lives has been given attention by all sectors and levels. The work of health care, medical care, and education has been focused on. Activities of building a digital economy and digital society continue to be consolidated and enhanced. The work of ensuring social order and safety has been strictly implemented.
Regarding the implementation of Resolution 98, ministries and branches have completed 8/10 tasks assigned by the Central Government, of which 4/4 Decrees and 1 Decision of the Prime Minister have been issued. Ho Chi Minh City has completed 15/22 tasks and is coordinating to implement 7/22 tasks.
The Steering Committee has held 03 meetings and assigned 19 tasks to the Central Ministries and branches. Up to now, the ministries and branches have coordinated and guided Ho Chi Minh City to complete 18/19 tasks.
Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 stipulates 44 specific mechanisms. The city has implemented 36/44 mechanisms, initially bringing positive results; 06/44 mechanisms are in the process of drafting implementation documents and 02/44 mechanisms have stopped being implemented due to new regulations replacing them.
After 2 years of implementing Resolution No. 98 and implementing the Prime Minister's direction, Ho Chi Minh City has achieved many outstanding results, specifically removing many years of backlog (obstacles for BOT projects); ensuring social security, sustainable poverty reduction (policies on capital allocation for loans to reduce poverty and create jobs), up to now the City has no more poor households according to the national poverty standard; proactively using resources from the City budget to implement inter-regional and expressway projects, helping to complete investment procedures early, speeding up project implementation progress (Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai expressway); mobilizing social resources for development (attracting strategic investors for Can Gio Transit Port, projects following the TOD model).
Regarding shortcomings and limitations, there are still many contents in Resolution No. 98 that require more efforts; the progress of developing and promulgating plans to implement many specific mechanisms and policies is still slow; some projects have problems that need to be resolved...
Developing Ho Chi Minh City to reach regional and world level
In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh basically agreed with the reports and opinions at the conference, and assigned the Government Office to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the People's Committees of Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh to absorb the opinions, complete and submit for promulgation the Notice of the meeting's Conclusion.
The Prime Minister emphasized that under the direction of the Politburo, the Secretariat, and General Secretary To Lam, we have carried out a revolution in organizational structure, reorganized the country, and have now basically succeeded in turning the situation around, transforming the state to enter a new era of development.
On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister acknowledged and commended the efforts of the Party Committee, government, army and people of Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast provinces in restructuring the apparatus, administrative boundaries, socio-economic development, ensuring national defense, security, foreign affairs and integration, ensuring people's lives, achieving many important results, contributing to the overall achievements of the whole country in the first 7 months of 2025.
Outlining five general and key tasks in the coming time, the Prime Minister requested that, firstly, based on the functions, tasks and powers of localities and ministries, it is necessary to continue reviewing the institutions related to the implementation of Resolution 98 and the development of the Southeast region, identifying the contents that need to be completed, supplemented, amended, or abolished, the Government Office and the Ministry of Finance will synthesize and propose to competent authorities.
Second, the Ministry of Finance shall preside over and, together with localities, review and update the planning in accordance with the rearrangement of provincial administrative units and the orientation of new socio-economic zoning, with the spirit of integrating planning on a scientific, practical, highly feasible basis and creating breakthrough development, more effective and in line with the overall development of the country.
Third, mobilize resources to implement institutions and realize planning, especially promote public-private partnership, participation of the private economic sector, take state resources to lead and activate all social resources, legal capital sources at home and abroad.
Fourth, the Southeast region and localities all have new development space, new development conditions, far-sighted vision, broad thinking, deep thinking, bigger actions, and must train appropriate human resources.
Fifth , governance must be smart, responsive to new development requirements and new development space organization, closely linking localities and coordinating with ministries and branches closely, effectively and practically.
Regarding some specific tasks for Ho Chi Minh City, the Prime Minister requested to continue reviewing, concretizing, and implementing Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15. Ho Chi Minh City must be more determined, make greater efforts, take more drastic actions, and promote specific mechanisms and policies more effectively with the spirit of 05 "leading".
Firstly, take the lead in digital transformation, develop and apply science and technology, promote startups, innovation and develop smart cities.
Second, take the lead in attracting investment in high-tech industries and green technology associated with sustainable development.
Third, take the lead in developing high value-added financial, service, and tourism sectors and developing the marine economy.
Fourth, take the lead in developing high-quality human resources and leading experts in key areas.
Fifth, take the lead in implementing social policies and social security.
The Prime Minister requested Ho Chi Minh City and ministries to continue to synchronously implement the contents of Resolution 98, with the spirit that the mechanism has been approved, awareness has been raised and matured, actions must be more drastic, must have an offensive mindset, be stronger, more proactive, creative, more substantial, more effective, boldly remove difficulties and obstacles, promote development creation mechanisms, affirm that policies and guidelines are correct, accurate and suitable for reality and development trends.
The Prime Minister stated that the two-level local government apparatus in Ho Chi Minh City must operate stably and smoothly; Ho Chi Minh City sets a target of GRDP growth of 8.5% in 2025, of which the last 6 months of the year strive to reach 10.3%, together with the whole country to ensure the GDP growth target of 8.3-8.5%; at the same time, maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation, ensure social security, improve people's lives, ensure national defense, security, develop culture, cultural industry, and entertainment industry.
The Prime Minister affirmed that the new space will create new momentum and with new stature, position, awareness and vision, Ho Chi Minh City has the ability to develop from its own hands, minds, land, sky and sea in a proactive and creative way, "turning nothing into something, turning difficult into easy, turning impossible into possible", reaching regional and world levels.
For the Southeast region , the Prime Minister hopes and believes that the region will be a model leader in breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation, digital transformation, implementing the four "four pillars" resolutions of the Politburo, and operating smoothly and smoothly the two-level local government system.
Regarding the direction and tasks of the Southeast Regional Coordination Council in the coming time, the Prime Minister requested to perfect the Council's organizational structure; research, develop and submit to the Politburo to issue a new Resolution or Conclusion on the development of the Southeast region in the era of national development; review, update and propose mechanisms and policies for the Southeast region.
Regarding some key infrastructure projects in the region, the Prime Minister requested localities to have a common responsibility with Ho Chi Minh City to successfully implement the international financial center project; make efforts to start the Ring Road 4 project on August 19; implement the Can Gio international transit port project under the public-private partnership form; and promote the Long Thanh international airport project to basically complete in 2025.
For regional traffic connection projects such as Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh Expressway and Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai Expressway, the Ministry of Finance, agencies and localities will review where the problems are and propose immediate solutions to resolve them, starting construction on August 19 to ensure implementation progress.
Along with that, research the Loc Ninh - Bien Hoa railway connecting Cai Mep port and Can Gio port; research the construction of a subway or urban railway connecting Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh airports.
Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/thu-tuong-tphcm-va-dong-nam-bo-deu-co-khong-gian-phat-trien-moi-can-hanh-dong-quyet-liet-hon-de-kien-tao-phat-trien-1019276.html
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