HCMC: The success of FDI enterprises is a measure of the city's capacity

(Dan Tri) - This affirmation was made by Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc at the meeting between Ho Chi Minh City leaders and the foreign-invested enterprise (FDI) community in 2025, on October 30.

Ho Chi Minh City commits to comprehensive reform

Speaking at the event, Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc affirmed that the conference was organized with a consistent spirit: The government accompanies businesses and businesses accompanies the city. The success of FDI enterprises is also a measure of the city's management capacity and investment environment.

Regarding the upcoming development strategy, Ho Chi Minh City has affirmed its goal of becoming a regional international megacity. To achieve this vision, the city will innovate its model and restructure its economy towards science, technology and innovation as a driving force for development.

The city will promote digital transformation, comprehensive green transformation and development of a creative knowledge-based economy, rising to become a link in the global value chain.

The city aims to attract high-quality FDI capital flows, spreading technology, knowledge and human values. City leaders call on FDI enterprises to invest with confidence, expand investment associated with green transformation, digital transformation, innovation and economy.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc speaks at the Meeting between City Leaders and the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Enterprise Community in 2025 (Photo: ITPC)

Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc said that although Ho Chi Minh City maintains its development momentum and continues to be an important growth pole of the country's economy, it still faces many difficulties and obstacles.

Associations and FDI enterprises have pointed out many challenges, including problems with traffic, water, environmental pollution and administrative delays. At the same time, new challenges such as innovative technology, climate change, and the need to develop a green economy and a circular economy.

The leaders of Ho Chi Minh City affirmed that they have grasped these issues and are committed to continuously implementing reforms, no matter how difficult they are. The reform focuses on three goals of reducing costs, time and procedures. The city is making efforts to improve its service attitude towards the people and businesses and is in great need of the trust and companionship of FDI enterprises in this reform.

At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City is committed to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of investors. The city is making efforts to remove difficulties, quickly resolve procedures, and reduce costs for businesses, especially time costs.

He said the city always considers businesses as the center, the driving force, and the resource for development. Ho Chi Minh City respects every idea and commitment, considering them as a belief in the future of Vietnam and a dynamic, creative city.

“The success of FDI enterprises is also a measure of the city's management capacity and investment environment,” Mr. Duoc affirmed.

Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and guests visited the exhibition outside the Conference (Photo: ITPC).

FDI business community expects more administrative reforms

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Erick Contreras - Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham Vietnam) - said that the orientation of building Ho Chi Minh City into an International Financial Center (IFC) will open a major turning point, helping Vietnam not only attract capital but also become a regional financial coordination center.

However, to realize this ambition, Ho Chi Minh City needs to continue to improve policy transparency and management efficiency - decisive factors to promote innovation, especially in the field of green finance.

In addition, the European business community has noted many improvements in customs procedures but is still concerned about delays in customs clearance, affecting the supply chain. EuroCham suggested that the city continue to simplify the process and speed up customs clearance to reduce the cost burden for businesses.

Conference delegates are learning about the planning of Ho Chi Minh City after the merger (Photo: Tran Manh).

EuroCham particularly emphasized sustainable development in the context of increasingly severe climate change, calling on Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam to consider climate change adaptation as a strategic focus. Although sustainable development cannot be achieved overnight, the association is ready to accompany Ho Chi Minh City through policy dialogue, specific cooperation and sharing of initiatives.

“We believe that trust, transparency and sustainable development will be the foundation to strengthen the EU-Vietnam partnership and bring Ho Chi Minh City to international level,” Mr. Erick Contreras emphasized.

Meanwhile, a representative of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam) said that American businesses highly appreciate the cooperative relationship with Ho Chi Minh City and are committed to accompanying the city in the process of innovation and development. In the context of global trade fluctuations, AmCham emphasized that maintaining policy stability and increasing transparency in implementation are important factors to maintain Vietnam's attractiveness.

AmCham appreciated the administrative restructuring and streamlining of the apparatus, but noted the delay due to the lack of experienced personnel during the transition period. American businesses proposed to cooperate with the government in training, technical assistance and policy dialogue to improve implementation efficiency.

In the financial sector, AmCham supports the construction of International Financial Centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang , considering this a breakthrough step. However, to be successful, Vietnam needs to ensure transparency of capital flows, reliable dispute resolution mechanisms and independent legal management.

Mr. Okabe Mitsutoshi - Chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City - said that according to a 2024 survey of Japanese enterprises abroad, the top three risks when investing in Vietnam are complicated administrative procedures (62.4%), increasing labor costs (58.9%) and an incomplete and opaque legal system (57.8%). The rate of assessment of these factors in Vietnam is higher than the ASEAN average, showing a special level of concern from the Japanese business community.

JETRO believes that Ho Chi Minh City is an attractive destination for Japanese investors, but to maintain and expand capital flows, the city needs to simplify procedures, improve the legal framework and increase transparency in implementation. The areas specifically mentioned include procedures for establishing businesses, importing, granting work permits and visas. If strong reforms are implemented, the satisfaction level of Japanese enterprises will be improved, creating motivation to attract new projects.

According to the agency, improving administrative procedures and the legal framework will not only help foreign businesses operate more smoothly, but also contribute to enhancing the reputation of Ho Chi Minh City in the region. This is an important condition for the city to compete with other economic centers of ASEAN in attracting high-quality capital flows.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/tphcm-thanh-cong-cua-doanh-nghiep-fdi-la-thuoc-do-nang-luc-thanh-pho-20251030130241928.htm