HCMC is entering a pivotal stage in its development, as authorities review the implementation of Resolution 31-NQ/TW, a Politburo directive issued in 2022 that outlines the city’s development goals through 2030 with a vision to 2045. At the same time, policymakers are preparing a new resolution for the city as Vietnam’s economy moves into a more advanced phase of development. New demands for double-digit growth, higher productivity, deeper integration into global value chains, and especially the goal of escaping the middle-income trap by 2030 on the path toward the 2045 vision, have placed HCMC in a new position. The city is no longer seen simply as the country’s leading urban center, but as a strategic growth pole in a new era of national growth. The “new era” should not be understood merely as a point in time but as a structural transformation of the development model. In the previous phase, growth could rely on expanding scale and exploiting available resources. In the period ahead, however, those drivers are gradually reaching their limits. Growth will need to be driven by productivity, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and institutional quality. This requires HCMC not only to grow faster but also to […]