HCM City held a ceremony on December 31 to announce the National Assembly Standing Committee’s resolution on organising administrative units at the district and commune levels and establishing Thu Duc city.

Vice NA Chairman Uong Chu Luu (R) hands over NA Standing
Committee’s resolution on organising administrative units
at the district and commune levels and establishing
Thu Duc city to HCM City (Source: VNA)

Addressing the ceremony, Vice NA Chairman Uong Chu Luu said this is the first time the “city within a city” model has been used in Vietnam, thus forming a highly interactive innovative urban area in the city’s eastern part that will be a new driver of economic growth in all of the southern key economic zone.

Luu urged HCM City leaders to compile and submit for approval a general plan for Thu Duc city that conforms with its overall general planning.

HCM City should prioritise investing in developing infrastructure, training high-quality human resources, using investment effectively, handling complaints and denunciations, and strengthening Thu Duc city’s administrative apparatus.

Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of HCM City’s Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen pledged that the city will build a dedicated project on specific polices and mechanisms for the development of Thu Duc city, for submission to the NA and its Standing Committee and the Government for consideration and decision.

Thu Duc city covers 211 sq.km and is home to more than a million people.

The existing Thu Duc district, which covers 48 sq.km, has a high concentration of educational institutions and research centres and four large universities with more than 100,000 students.

The 50-sq km District 2, which includes the Thu Thiem new urban area, will provide international exhibition and financial centres for the new urban area and the city as a whole.

The 114-sq km District 9, which includes Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park, will be a hub for research and an incubator for innovative technologies.

The new city is expected to contribute 30 % of the city’s economic growth and 7 % of the Vietnam’s.

HCM City currently accounts for 23 % of national GDP and 30 % of Government revenue.