Ho Chi Minh City after merger: Industrial planning needs new breakthrough

After merging and becoming a megacity, Ho Chi Minh City is facing the need to reshape its industrial planning to suit its new stature.

Overview of the discussion held at the Tuoi Tre newspaper office on the afternoon of September 5 - Photo: QUANG DINH

After becoming a megacity through mergers, Ho Chi Minh City is facing the need to reshape its industrial planning to suit its new stature.

The issue is not only to reorganize existing industrial parks, but also to take advantage of brands, human resources and policy conditions to increase competitiveness, attract investment, and make industry and trade continue to play a pivotal role in the city's economy .

These issues were discussed at a seminar on Industrial Development in a New Space, co-organized by Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, and UEH.ISB Talent School on the afternoon of September 5.

The program is an activity within the "Forum for giving advice on developing Industry and Trade in Ho Chi Minh City" route.

Many advantages, but Ho Chi Minh City still cannot break through, why?

Journalist Tran Xuan Toan - deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper - raised issues for experts and businesses to discuss - Photo: QUANG DINH

Opening the discussion, journalist Tran Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, raised a number of issues that the new Ho Chi Minh City after the merger posed.

Which areas should the new industrial planning of Ho Chi Minh City focus on? How should the existing industrial parks in Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau be reorganized?

Mr. Toan cited an example in Tokyo, Japan, where many businesses in the core area are moving their factories to neighboring areas. That requires a great deal of re-planning in Ho Chi Minh City to focus on the best development for the city's industry.

Faced with the issues raised, Mr. Tran Ha Minh Quan - Principal of UEH.ISB Talent School - suggested exploiting the strengths of Ho Chi Minh City from three perspectives: brand, people and policy conditions.

Mr. Quan said that the news of Ho Chi Minh City becoming a megacity after the merger is not only domestic news, but also of interest to many other countries.

Therefore, taking advantage of the recognition and popularity of the Ho Chi Minh City brand should be noted, when products from Binh Duong or Ba Ria - Vung Tau are now also in Ho Chi Minh City. Next, Ho Chi Minh City is always a prominent locality for high-quality human resources and technology.

Evidence is that many large technology companies have set up research and development centers here. For industrial areas like Binh Duong, the merger also creates conditions for attracting human resources, when previously this locality had difficulty calling for human resources from Ho Chi Minh City to move here.

Dr. Pham Van Dai - lecturer of public policy, Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management

Dr. Pham Van Dai - lecturer of public policy, Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management - said that when implementing planning, we must determine which target group we are comparing with. If compared with big cities in Korea, China, Taiwan... then perhaps Ho Chi Minh City is not as good, but if compared with countries in Southeast Asia, India... then we have a lot more advantages.

Specifically, we have more advantages in terms of infrastructure, human resources, stable political and social situation, etc., which will attract more investors than most countries in the region.

"HCMC still has such advantages and foundations, but we have not made a breakthrough compared to other countries, and have not become a new version of Korea or Taiwan, mainly due to the way we do things...", Dr. Dai affirmed.

Leveraging the Ho Chi Minh City brand

Mr. Ha Van Ut - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City - said that Ho Chi Minh City will develop important corridors, in which industry and trade play a pivotal role - Photo: QUANG DINH

According to Mr. Ha Van Ut - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City - previously, the industrial sector had a large contribution to the general economic structure (GRDP) of Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, with rates of over 60% and about 50% respectively. After merging three provinces and cities into one, industry - trade continues to be the current strategic sector of Ho Chi Minh City.

In the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City will develop important corridors, in which industry and trade play a pivotal role.

"The larger scale after the merger opens up opportunities but also poses challenges, requiring new vision and thinking in planning," said Mr. Ha Van Ut.

Accordingly, previously with the scale of 3 separate provinces and cities, the orientation was to find the advantages of each locality. Now, the common interests of the whole Ho Chi Minh City must be put first. Currently, the Department of Industry and Trade is reviewing and adjusting the planning in that direction.

The Department focuses on the issue of development space. Before the merger, Ho Chi Minh City had industrial clusters and industrial parks, the same as the other two provinces. After the merger, they need to be rearranged to promote efficiency.

The orientation is to move industrial clusters and industrial parks to Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, while in Ho Chi Minh City, the function will be converted to high-tech industries.

This model will engage in a high-tech manufacturing process, rather than just focusing on assembly.

Thus, Ho Chi Minh City will take on the role of "core center", where ideas, brands, product design and after-sales services are concentrated. Processing and assembly stages will be arranged in Binh Duong. Ho Chi Minh City will not need much production space, but instead requires a high-quality workforce. For Ba Ria - Vung Tau, the orientation is to develop key industries such as oil and gas, chemicals, etc.

In other words, instead of each province following its own strengths, it is now necessary to identify common fundamental industries. The focus is on maintaining production, attracting high technology and having appropriate mechanisms to encourage businesses.

For example, to attract high technology such as semiconductor chip manufacturing, there must be preferential policies and additional technology transfer mechanisms. Ho Chi Minh City must develop policies to attract large enterprises to invest, while receiving and transferring technology to the domestic sector.

Ho Chi Minh City must re-plan the overall picture.

Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster will have more breakthrough developments with the megacity of Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: QUANG DINH

Sharing the perspective of a unit implementing the new space planning, Mr. Le Tan Duong, Deputy General Director of Saigon Industry Corporation (CNS), said he was very "impatient" because he thought "if I do business, what can I do in the new space? Can I develop?".

Mr. Duong raised the issue of the new planning of Ho Chi Minh City, whether the scale of corporations and state-owned enterprises is still appropriate because the new Ho Chi Minh City has clear natural boundaries, but the industrial boundaries or industrial zones after merging are extremely large and widely distributed.

"In my opinion, planning is the first thing. If Ho Chi Minh City does this quickly, we will soon form a path," said Mr. Duong.

Mr. Le Tan Duong - Deputy General Director of Saigon Industry Corporation (CNS) - Photo: QUANG DINH

Mr. Duong emphasized the need to re-plan the overall picture because Ho Chi Minh City is the leading unit in the country. "Ho Chi Minh City has always been the leading locality in industry and trade services, now with the addition of Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, it will also be the leading unit. Therefore, the new planning picture needs to create momentum for chain development. We can learn from models from other countries in the world," Mr. Duong suggested.

Citing an example from the current situation of CNS, Mr. Duong said that the enterprise is currently assigned to "double-digit growth", but is still "bound by many policies", so if policy barriers are not promptly removed, it will be difficult to develop according to the set plan.

How can Ho Chi Minh City compete with cities of other countries?

Journalist Tran Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, said that after Ho Chi Minh City rearranged the new space including Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, the topic of developing Ho Chi Minh City's industry in the new space urged us to contribute more ideas and suggestions to build the city.

Mr. Toan said that in the past time, Tuoi Tre newspaper has received many opinions from experts, businesses in the fields of industry, trade, logistics... and also foreign businesses and experts. Among them, there are many opinions and suggestions on how to recalculate the strength of Ho Chi Minh City to compete with cities of other countries in the region, not just domestically.

Therefore, Tuoi Tre newspaper organized a discussion with the hope that businesses and experts would focus on giving advice to Ho Chi Minh City. In addition to being published on Tuoi Tre newspaper's media products, the contributions will also be included in the advice sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Party Congress taking place next October.

Together "Contribute to the development of industry and trade in Ho Chi Minh City"

Tuoi Tre Newspaper in coordination with the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City opened a forum "Providing advice for developing industry and trade in Ho Chi Minh City".

To listen to ideas and solutions from businesses, researchers and people to build and develop industry and trade for the new Ho Chi Minh City, forming a strong urban area in industry - trade - services, with international competitiveness.

Mr. Bui Ta Hoang Vu - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City - said that he respects and listens to every opinion and suggestion from people and businesses to advise the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on breakthrough solutions to develop industry - trade - services.

Readers participating in the forum can send information to the editorial office of Tuoi Tre newspaper (60A Hoang Van Thu, Duc Nhuan ward, Ho Chi Minh City) or email: kinhte@tuoitre.com.vn .

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tp-hcm-sau-sap-nhap-quy-hoach-cong-nghiep-can-buoc-dot-pha-moi-20250905165109727.htm