HCMC – Ho Chi Minh City is planning to restructure its urban space into a next-generation multi-center megacity rather than continuing the traditional outward expansion from the urban core to surrounding areas.
The new model will be organized around five growth poles, five strategic corridors and 10 development governance zones. City planners are adopting the strategic formula “1 + 2 > 3,” under which former HCMC, former Binh Duong and former Ba Ria-Vung Tau are viewed not merely as an administrative merger but as a multiplier of inter-regional development momentum.
The strategic framework also identifies five breakthrough economic pillars: high-tech manufacturing, an international financial center, logistics linked to seaports and free trade zones, tourism and cultural industries, and education, healthcare and science-technology.
The information was presented at the “HCMC Master Plan – 100-Year Vision” seminar held on June 2. The event marked the city’s first scientific forum aimed at concretizing the strategic framework under National Assembly Resolution No. 260/2025/QH15 and Politburo Resolution No. 09-NQ/TW dated May 19, 2026 on HCMC’s development in a new era.
According to Vo Van Minh, chairman of the HCMC People’s Council, the master plan carries national strategic significance by optimizing resources, resolving intra-regional conflicts, improving residents’ quality of life and strengthening climate resilience.
From an expert perspective, economist Tran Du Lich said the city needs to shift decisively from a “land planning” mindset to planning an “economic ecosystem,” with transit-oriented development (TOD) serving as the backbone of urban growth.
He said the master plan should clearly define HCMC’s mission within the Asian and global urban network, alongside specific development targets for milestones in 2035, 2045 and 2075.
Highlighting the city’s spatial advantages, architect Tran Ngoc Chinh proposed positioning HCMC as a “marine megacity.” With more than 300 kilometers of coastline, the country’s largest deep-water port system and the Can Gio coastal urban project, the marine economy should become a core growth driver tied to international maritime infrastructure and stronger regional connectivity across southeastern Vietnam, he said.
The seminar was jointly organized by the Standing Committee of the HCMC People’s Council, the HCMC Institute for Development Studies, the Department of Planning and Architecture, and the Department of Finance, under the chairmanship of the city’s key leaders.
Feedback and policy recommendations from experts at the forum will serve as a scientific foundation for the HCMC People’s Council to refine and oversee the implementation of the master plan before it is submitted to competent authorities for approval.
Following the administrative merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, the expanded HCMC now covers more than 6,700 square kilometers, has a population of more than 14 million people, and contributes over 23% to the country’s GDP and more than 30% to the nation’s total State budget revenue.
