A view of HCM City’s eastern area including districts 2, 9 and Thủ Đức, where a “city within a city” will be established.

The 22-member committee led by Phong will develop a master plan for development of the “city within city” in the eastern area.

The master plan includes strategies for a knowledge-based economy that includes promotion of investment in urban development and a highly skilled workforce.

The committee will study the experiences of major cities in other countries and propose policies for a creative ecosystem and improved competitiveness. 

It will also develop a centralised urban database with data about land use, transportation, canals, and other works in the three districts.

In addition, the committee will consult with the public and agencies, and promote international cooperation in investment in the city. 

HCM City aims to develop a hi-tech, smart urban development zone, spread over more than 211sq.km and home to more than 1.1 million people in the area.

The city could be the first in the country to have such a city under management of a city.

The city government has asked the Ministry of Construction for guidance to carry out the merger of the three districts, while its Department of Home Affairs has sought assistance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The 48sq.km Thủ Đức District has a high concentration of educational institutions and research centres and four large universities with more than 10,000 lecturers and professors and 100,000 students. 

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

The 114sq.km District 9, which includes the Saigon Hi-Tech Park, would be a hub for research and incubator for innovative technologies.

The eastern part of the city has convenient and modern infrastructure, including metro line No 1 from Bến Thành in District 1 to Suối Tiên in District 9, which was s still under construction, and the expressway from HCM City to Đồng Nai Province and Cát Lái Port, the largest in Việt Nam.

The city is carrying out a project to become a smart urban area under which the eastern area would be developed into an innovation hub based on a digital, knowledge-based economy.

HCM City contributes 23 per cent of national GDP, 30 per cent of Government revenues, 16 per cent of industrial output, and 15 per cent of exports. — VNS