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Ho Chi Minh City Vice Chairman Nguyen Cong Vinh speaks at the ceremony. Photo: TK

Speaking at the ceremony, Ho Chi Minh City Vice Chairman Nguyen Cong Vinh said the city is mobilizing all available resources and flexibly applying policy mechanisms to build momentum toward its goal of double-digit economic growth.

The city’s economy has recorded a number of bright spots in recent months, welcoming more than 7.9 million international visitors and attracting over $10 billion in foreign direct investment, equivalent to 92% of its target. Public investment disbursement has reached 57% of the annual plan, far exceeding the same period last year and standing above the national average.

Ho Chi Minh City is also racing to complete its master plan for 2025-2050, with a 100-year vision, while accelerating transit-oriented development (TOD) and carrying out a “150-day-and-night” campaign to bring 1,000 new classrooms into use for the 2026-2027 academic year.

City leaders said the application of central government resolutions, together with the Urban Development Law, which takes effect on October 1, 2026, demonstrates the city’s willingness to think boldly and act decisively to remove bottlenecks and unlock resources for development.

Major push for transport infrastructure and regional connectivity

In transport, Ho Chi Minh City has begun upgrading two major gateways that regularly suffer from congestion.

A 5.9-kilometer section of National Highway 13, stretching from Binh Trieu Bridge to Vinh Binh Bridge, will be upgraded at a cost of more than $789 million. Meanwhile, a 9.62-kilometer section of National Highway 1, from Kinh Duong Vuong Street to the Tay Ninh boundary, will require investment of about $621 million.

To strengthen regional connectivity, Ho Chi Minh City has also officially launched construction of the massive Ring Road 4 project, with total investment exceeding $4.58 billion.

The strategic expressway is expected not only to ease interprovincial traffic congestion but also to create a new development corridor, cutting travel times between economic, industrial and cultural centers and the region’s seaports and international airports.

Two key sections are being launched in this phase: the Toc Tien-Chau Pha to Chau Duc Bridge section, costing about $200 million, and the section from the Saigon River to Thay Cai Canal, with investment of approximately $334 million.

Urban renewal, environmental protection and social welfare

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National Highway 13 will be widened to 60 meters, with 10-14 lanes. Photo: Nguyen Hue

Alongside transport infrastructure, a series of projects aimed at improving living conditions and social welfare are also being rolled out.

Notably, urban renewal projects in the Ma Lang area in Cau Ong Lanh Ward, covering around 37,740 square meters, and the Cho Ga-Gao area in Ben Thanh Ward, spanning about 4,350 square meters, will be implemented under the public-private partnership model through build-transfer contracts, with combined investment of approximately $598 million.

The projects are designed to allow residents to be resettled within their existing neighborhoods while creating greener, more modern and better-planned living spaces in the heart of the city. Completion is scheduled for 2029.

In the environmental sector, the Binh Duong water environment improvement project has total investment of about $275 million, funded by the state budget and World Bank loans. It will focus on comprehensively developing urban wastewater collection and treatment systems in Tan Uyen, Thuan An and Di An.

The project will add 60,000 cubic meters of daily wastewater treatment capacity and is expected to be completed in 2028.

To help provide stable housing for low-income residents, construction has also begun simultaneously on two social housing projects. One in Binh Hung Commune, valued at around $11.7 million, will comprise 342 apartments in an 18-story building, while the Le Thanh Tan Tao 2 project, worth about $21 million, will provide 432 apartments.

Along with infrastructure and social welfare projects, three schools have been completed and put into operation just before the start of the new academic year, offering a particularly meaningful benefit for students.

Building C at Marie Curie High School has undergone extensive renovation, while Vo Truong Toan High School and Tran Van Giau High School have both received comprehensive upgrades.

The projects not only provide modern and safe learning environments for future generations but also contribute to urban renewal and smoother traffic flows, directly improving residents’ quality of life.

Tuan Kiet