The People’s Committee of Dong Nai Province has officially launched a public consultation process on the proposal to establish Dong Nai City as a centrally governed city, as well as the plan to establish wards across the province.

The province is emerging as a strong candidate thanks to large economic scale, sizable population and high urbanization rate. The new governance would open prospects for the formation of a major economic hub and international gateway in a new development phase.

At present, Dong Nai meets important conditions to move toward the model of a centrally governed city. The province has a natural area of more than 12,700 sqm and a population of over 4.49 million, creating a vast development space and abundant social resources.

The urbanization increase shows that Dong Nai is transitioning from a purely industrial model to one combining industry with modern urban development. Notably, the province has met the criterion for the proportion of wards among commune-level administrative units, with 23 existing wards and 10 communes eligible for upgrading.

In terms of urban quality, Dong Nai has completed its dossier seeking recognition as a Grade I urban area and submitted it to the Ministry of Construction for appraisal. It has met 13 out of 15 criteria, while only 12 are required.

Beyond quantitative indicators, Dong Nai clearly demonstrates its role as a major industrial center of Vietnam. Its GRDP at current prices is estimated at around VND677,932 billion, ranking fourth nationwide after Hanoi, HCMC and Hai Phong, and leading among provinces excluding centrally governed cities.

The province is also identified as a dynamic growth pole, playing a key role in regional economic connectivity. Located at the heart of the Southeast region, within the development space of the HCMC mega-urban area, it serves as a convergence point for multiple economic corridors and strategic connectivity axes.

In particular, Long Thanh International Airport, a national key project, is expected to become an international aviation transit hub, serving as a major boost that opens up entirely new development space for Dong Nai.

These figures highlight Dong Nai’s increasingly important role in the national economic structure and its strong potential to develop into a large-scale urban center.

Standards

Under Resolution No112/2025 of the National Assembly Standing Committee on criteria for administrative units, a centrally governed city must meet requirements regarding population size, area, socio-economic development level, urbanization, infrastructure systems, regional centrality and connectivity.

Dong Nai has essentially met the necessary conditions. In addition to its large economic scale and top-tier GRDP, the province has an excellent transport system, playing a strategic connectivity role in southern Vietnam.

Within regional development, Dong Nai is defined as a dynamic growth pole, linking economic spaces. From its central position in the southeast, it connects directly with HCMC while also serving as a bridge to the Central Highlands, the central region and the Mekong Delta.

One of the key drivers for Dong Nai’s breakthrough is the development of Long Thanh International Airport, considered a national strategic infrastructure project. Once operational, it will enhance international connectivity and create strong momentum for logistics, trade and aviation-related industries.

At the same time, expressways, ring roads, seaports and interregional transport routes are being completed, forming a modern multimodal connectivity network. This provides a critical foundation for Dong Nai to become an international trade gateway and integrate more deeply into regional and global supply chains.

With its criteria largely fulfilled, Dong Nai is gradually realizing its goal of becoming a centrally governed city. If approved, this would mark a major transition, creating new momentum for development and helping shape a future industrial, logistics and international trade hub of Vietnam.

Tran Thuong