hoi nghi HCMC No2 Duoc.jpg
Chair of HCMC People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc.

Here is information about some of the seasoned leaders in HCMC:

Standing Deputy Secretary Le Quoc Phong: expectations are to create "knowledge-based economy"

Phong, born in 1978, has a PhD in Biotechnology. He was an alternate member of the 12th Central Committee, and is currently a 13th National Assembly delegate in the 14th and 15th terms and the youngest among HCMC key leaders.

Former First Secretary of the Central Youth Union and coming up from the Youth Union work in HCMC, he has rich experience in organizing movements and rallying the masses, especially the young generation.

With a PhD in Biotechnology and experience as Secretary of Dong Thap Provincial Party Committee, he is a cadre with solid scientific expertise and leadership ability, necessary for local development strategies.

Phong's "return" to HCMC as Standing Deputy Secretary is expected to leverage dynamic strengths, creativity, innovative thinking, and be an ideal connector for the General Secretary's requirement: HCMC must become a "center of innovation, nucleus of the knowledge economy" and "create breakthroughs in high-quality human resources".

Chair of HCMC People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc: re-architecting "super city" with multi-polar management experience

Born in 1968 in Long An, Duoc holds a master’s degree in geology and is a Central Committee member of the 13th term.

He had many positions at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Long An province before becoming Vice Chair of the provincial People’s Committee (2016–2021) and then serving as Provincial Party Secretary (2020-2025).

In March this year, he was elected Chair of the HCMC People’s Committee for the 2021–2026 term.

His natural resources and environment management work in Long An has helped him hone foundational knowledge about planning, land, and sustainable development. 

Experience as Secretary of the Long An Provincial Party Committee further deepened his understanding of economic issues, investment, and public investment disbursement. This position also strengthened his inter-regional steering ability, as Long An in the past and Tay Ninh now are a combined province in the Southern key economic region, bordering and deeply linked regionally with HCMC.

With HCMC's current status of ‘super city’, Duoc, as head of the city government, shoulders heavy tasks: complete planning, re-architecting development space according to “multi-polar - integrated - super-connected thinking" to operate the new city with five economic pillars: high technology, logistics, international finance, tourism, education - health - science and technology.

Chair of HCMC People's Council Vo Van Minh: Balancing breakthrough thinking with supervision and reform capabilities

Minh, born in 1972, with a master's in Economics, Electrical Engineer, had many years working at the Management Board of the formerly named Binh Duong province industrial zones and held many important positions in the province: Vice Chair of the Provincial People's Committee, Secretary of Thu Dau Mot City Party Committee, Chair of the Provincial People's Council, and Chair of the Provincial People's Committee for the 2021-2026 term.

As former Chair of the former Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee, he has experience in administrative management, industrial zone development, and urbanization. 

In the current role as Chair of HCMC People's Council, he leads the local state power agency, representing the people's will and aspirations. 

The position of HCMC People's Council Chair requires sharp policy supervision and critique abilities. The view "turn special mechanisms into special drivers for development" shows vision in removing obstacles, and courage in exploiting HCMC's unique advantages.

Leadership team’s tasks

The profiles of HCMC’s four key leaders show a well-structured leadership team: Tran Luu Quang provides political and macro-level direction; Le Quoc Phong leads in human capital and innovation; Nguyen Van Duoc focuses on spatial planning and administration; and Vo Van Minh ensures institutional reform and transparency.

The alignment of this leadership team promises to resolve existing bottlenecks and fulfill the central government’s vision of HCMC as a modern, prosperous megacity and a globally attractive destination.

“I am deeply concerned because the tasks assigned to the city are extremely large, worried by the expectations of leaders as well as the desire for a better life from nearly 14 million city residents; the anticipation of investors and businesses for a government operating with high performance, effectiveness, and efficiency, not only for the city's growth but also for business development, whether large or small. However, what concerns and worries me most is how we connect with each other to create strength. I hope comrades do not think about where you come from, whether native HCMC or from Binh Duong or Ba Ria - Vung Tau, but instead think and act with the highest responsibility, in a new era, a new development space”.

From HCMC Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang's speech when appointed by the Politburo to HCMC on August 25.

Tran Thuong