Ho Chi Minh City Super City: Reasonable planning to exploit the advantages of consolidation

Ho Chi Minh City has become a megacity with outstanding advantages in industry and commerce. However, there are also many challenges, such as how to plan appropriately, assign roles clearly, and promote the strengths of each region without stepping on each other's toes.

Cat Lai Port, Ho Chi Minh City is bustling day and night - Photo: QUANG DINH

This is the conclusion drawn by businesses and managers at the seminar "Proposing strategies for industrial and commercial development in Ho Chi Minh City" held on September 5, with the theme "Industrial development in a new space".

Arrange space reasonably, do not destroy

"It is necessary to plan residential areas, hotels, tourism, farming, seaports, factories... clearly, avoiding fragmentation and destruction of space...", Mr. Trinh Tien Dung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dai Dung Construction and Trade Mechanical Joint Stock Company, frankly shared at the discussion organized by the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and ISB International Training Institute on the afternoon of September 5. In particular, focusing on reasonable planning to ensure long-term development value.

According to Mr. Dung, in the era of growth, the private economy is being facilitated to develop strongly.

Ho Chi Minh City itself has many advantages such as a dynamic working environment, convenient sea routes, a mature business force with many billion-dollar companies, along with a stable geopolitical foundation, a wide network of trade agreements and open diplomatic and cultural relations.

After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City seemed to have new wings, as Binh Duong had strong industrial development, while Ba Ria - Vung Tau possessed "treasures" in trade services, oil and gas, seaports, and potential for gas - wind power and industry.

Mr. Tran Van Quy, General Director of Trung Quy Textile Company, also acknowledged that in the context of new space, it is necessary to calculate the planning of industrial parks to facilitate production, and should concentrate industry in Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

Currently, industrial parks are still small, without specialized or supporting areas for each field.

For example, with textiles, if a closed concentrated area from weaving, dyeing to sewing is formed, businesses can take advantage of inputs and outputs right in the area, reducing logistics and labor costs, thereby increasing competitiveness. This is a model that China has been doing for a long time and has been very successful.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Tran Hoang Thao, Deputy General Director of Safoco Foodstuff Joint Stock Company, emphasized that if we want to get rich, we must do industry and trade. But if we continue to "do it our own way" like before, the city will find it difficult to develop sustainably.

He cited that since 2009, China has had large industrial zones that operate around the clock, exporting a series of containers around the world every day.

Experts and businesses believe that after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City needs to have smart planning soon to not miss the "golden opportunity" - Photo: QUANG DINH

Avoid stepping on your toes and missing the "golden opportunity"

From the perspective of the planning implementation unit, Mr. Le Tan Duong, Deputy General Director of Saigon Industry Corporation (CNS), shared the "impatient" feeling of the business: "In the new space, what will we do and how will we develop?".

When Ho Chi Minh City was first formed, its natural boundaries were clear, but after the merger, its industrial boundaries were very large and scattered. Is the scale of the current corporations and state-owned enterprises still appropriate?

According to Mr. Duong, planning must be the first thing. If Ho Chi Minh City acts quickly, we will soon have a clear development path. The new planning picture needs to be designed to create momentum for chain development, learn from successful models from many countries, and avoid being bound by many policies.

With a policy vision, Dr. Pham Van Dai, public policy lecturer at the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, said that industrial development is a problem for the nation, for policy, and for the city. If only traders do it, there will be no competition and no development.

Vietnamese business enterprises themselves cannot compete with corporations from other countries.

According to Mr. Dai, in the previous planning report of old Ho Chi Minh City, there were three very special industrial development orientations, which could be implemented even in the new space.

Accordingly, first of all, the State needs to invest in new industrial infrastructure. New industrial infrastructure will be built into green industrial zones like science parks, combining living, working, studying...

The new industrial parks that can compete must be all gathered in one place. Regarding the infrastructure of industrial parks, Mr. Dai said: "I also do not think that in Binh Duong we must necessarily do low value-added industries. We can absolutely build science parks like the model in Tan Tuc, China."

In terms of policy, a new approach is needed to industrialize the economy. "Up until now, we have only talked about attracting investment, which means mainly attracting large FDI enterprises from abroad.

We have not emphasized the policy of how to nurture domestic enterprises. That is valuable," Mr. Dai commented.

According to the calculation of a lecturer at Fulbright University Vietnam, with 100 USD of export from FDI enterprises, the total added value brought to the economy is only about 1 - 2 USD, 1 - 2% including everything from land rent to wages paid to workers...

Therefore, if domestic enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City in particular cannot be built, Vietnam in general will find it difficult to develop.

"Central core" must be located in Ho Chi Minh City

Sharing the opinions of businesses, Mr. Ha Van Ut, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that the new scale opens up many opportunities, but also requires a different vision and planning mindset than before.

According to Mr. Ha Van Ut, previously the industrial sector accounted for a large proportion in the economic structure of Binh Duong (over 60%) and Ba Ria - Vung Tau (about 50%). After the merger, industry - trade is still identified as a strategic sector of Ho Chi Minh City at present.

Previously, each province followed its own strengths. Now, the common interests of Ho Chi Minh City must be put first. The Department of Industry and Trade is reviewing and adjusting the planning, focusing on development space.

If before the merger, all three localities had industrial clusters and zones, now they need to be reallocated to promote efficiency.

According to the orientation, industrial clusters and zones will be located in Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, while Ho Chi Minh City will shift to developing high-tech industries. The city will play the role of "central core", focusing on ideas, brands, product design and after-sales services; while processing and assembly will be transferred to Binh Duong.

Thus, Ho Chi Minh City does not need much production area, but instead needs high-quality human resources.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau will develop key industries such as oil and gas, chemicals. In general, instead of separating the strengths of each province, it is now necessary to form common foundation industries, both maintaining production and attracting high technology, along with mechanisms to encourage businesses.

"For example, to attract semiconductor investment, we need preferential policies and technology transfer mechanisms. Ho Chi Minh City must have solutions to attract large corporations to invest, while spreading technology to the domestic region," Mr. Ha Van Ut added.

Clear advantage but traffic jam

At the seminar, many businesses were concerned that the transport infrastructure has not kept up with the region's potential. Mr. Nguyen Liem, general director of Lam Viet Company Limited, said that Binh Duong is a major wood export center, accounting for more than 50% of the country's total by 2024, with an almost closed supply chain.

However, the biggest limitation is that this locality "does not have any expressway meters", while the railway line connecting directly to Ho Chi Minh City can help significantly reduce logistics costs.

From an investment perspective, Mr. Dam Quan Truc, Dai Quang Minh Company, commented that the Chu Lai infrastructure model shows the great potential of the new Ho Chi Minh City, especially in the metro sector. "A metro line requires a huge amount of capital.

We propose to get preferential loans when participating in the Ho Chi Minh City infrastructure project," he said, emphasizing the need to connect businesses and schools to train human resources to operate the metro system in the new space.

Increasing competitiveness for Ho Chi Minh City through advice

Journalist Tran Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, shared that after Ho Chi Minh City rearranged the new space including Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Tuoi Tre continuously received many opinions and suggestions from domestic and international experts and businesses in the fields of industry, trade, logistics...

Through that, we will join hands to recalculate the "strength" of Ho Chi Minh City, to compete with cities of other countries in the region, not just domestically.

Mr. LE MAI HUU LAM (General Director of Cat Van Loi Company):

Red eyes looking for good staff

Small and medium-sized enterprises are "looking hard but still cannot find" engineers who are both qualified and have a good attitude. Many young people choose the business field because they expect to earn a quick income, while the country is in dire need of technology human resources to create long-term advantages.

In Taiwan or Korea, the government has planned systematically, established semiconductor academies, and linked training with businesses, thereby forming a core technology force.

We Vietnam need to learn this model, at the same time build leading research institutes, increase international cooperation, attract overseas Vietnamese and foreign experts.

Mr. VUONG SIEU TIN (Director of Phuoc Du Long Company):

For businesses to survive and grow

The new planning of Ho Chi Minh City needs to create conditions for capable businesses to continue operating locally, both maintaining traditional occupations and exploiting tourism values.

Countries like Singapore and China still preserve and develop pottery villages associated with tourism, while Binh Duong does not have a similar center.

Mr. TRAN HA MINH QUAN (Principal of UEH.ISB Talent School):

Take advantage of the beautiful brand of Ho Chi Minh City

Three advantages of the new Ho Chi Minh City: brand, people and policy. After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City will become a megacity that attracts international attention, an opportunity to increase brand appeal, including products from Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

In addition, Ho Chi Minh City is famous for its high-quality human resources and technology, as evidenced by the fact that many large technology corporations have set up R&D centers here.

The merger also makes it easier for neighboring localities to attract human resources from Ho Chi Minh City, instead of being limited as before.

DUC THIEN - NGUYEN TRI - NGHI VU - PLUM BLOSSOM

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sieu-do-thi-tp-hcm-quy-hoach-hop-ly-de-khai-thac-loi-the-hop-nhat-20250906075846006.htm