HCMC – National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man has called for the development of a special urban law for Ho Chi Minh City, describing it as essential to creating a stable, long-term legal framework to resolve institutional bottlenecks and drive faster growth.
Speaking at a meeting with voters on May 4 in Hoc Mon Commune, HCMC, which was linked online to 10 other localities citywide, Man said the proposed law would enable the city to fully realize its role as Vietnam’s economic engine. The meeting also reviewed some outcomes of the first sitting of the 16th National Assembly and gathered voter feedback.
With the central Government agreeing to revise related resolutions, the top legislator expressed hope that HCMC would complete preparations to submit the draft law at the second sitting of the current NA. The bill is expected to feature special mechanisms similar to the revised Capital Law, seen as key to fostering not only economic expansion but also improvements in culture and society.
At the meeting, voters highlighted mounting pressures facing the city, including overloaded transport infrastructure, flooding, environmental pollution, and shortcomings in land-use planning. In response, Tran Thanh Man said the NA would step up oversight of delayed projects and consider more flexible approaches in amending the Land Law to address long-standing suspended planning issues and safeguard property rights.
On governance, he noted that authorities will review the two-tier local government model by late June to streamline the administrative apparatus and improve efficiency. The Government is also accelerating decentralization under the principle of “localities decide, act and take responsibility,” while cutting cumbersome administrative procedures to reduce compliance costs.
