Ho Chi Minh City currently has 22 district-level administrative units, including Thu Duc City, five suburban districts, and 16 urban districts. As the city plans to eliminate district-level units, questions arise about the future shape of the metropolis.

According to the amended Law on Local Government Organization, district-level administrative units include districts, urban districts, towns, provincial cities, and cities under centrally governed cities.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City comprises 22 district-level administrative units: 16 urban districts, 5 suburban districts, and 1 city. It also includes 273 commune-level administrative units, consisting of 210 wards, 58 communes, and 5 townships.

Thu Duc City

Established in 2021 by merging Districts 2, 9, and Thu Duc, Thu Duc City is the only city within a centrally governed city, covering a natural area of 211.56 square kilometers and home to 1,013,795 residents.

It consists of 34 wards and has emerged as a new growth hub for Ho Chi Minh City, aiming to become a “high-interaction creative urban area and a knowledge-based economic city driven by artificial intelligence.”

In 2024, Thu Duc City's commercial and service sector production value is estimated to exceed $3.44 billion, up 13.43% from the previous year.

The production value of the industrial and handicraft sectors is expected to reach over $1.46 billion, marking a 9.99% increase from the previous year.

The total state budget revenue in the area is estimated to exceed $655.8 million, achieving 150.5% of the target, excluding land use fees.

Former Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Nguyen Thien Nhan, once remarked that with its population and workforce, Thu Duc City accounts for 10% of the city’s population and labor force.

Its GRDP contribution to Ho Chi Minh City’s economy is 30%, equivalent to 6.6% of Vietnam’s GDP. If Thu Duc City optimizes its interactive components, it could become the third-largest economy in Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Five suburban districts and 16 urban districts

Ho Chi Minh City's 22 district-level administrative units include five suburban districts: Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Nha Be, and Can Gio. By 2030, these suburban districts are planned to be developed into five satellite cities of Ho Chi Minh City.

During a seminar on planning for the development of suburban districts by 2030, with a vision to 2045, experts proposed turning all five suburban districts into cities under the central city. This suggestion aligns with the recommendations of the expert group advising the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee on sustainable development.

According to the approved planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, Ho Chi Minh City’s economic and social spaces will be divided into three subregions with nine subdivisions.

The central urban area will act as the core driving force for the development of Ho Chi Minh City, the southern key economic region, and the southeastern region. This area includes 16 districts, further divided into four subdivisions:

Subdivision 1: District 1
Subdivision 2: Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, and Phu Nhuan
Subdivision 3: Districts 7, 8, Go Vap, Binh Thanh, Tan Binh, and Tan Phu
Subdivision 4: Districts 12 and Binh Tan

However, according to new policies from the Politburo and the Secretariat, Ho Chi Minh City, like other localities, will no longer maintain district-level administrative units, meaning there will be no more districts, suburban districts, or cities under centrally governed cities.

Localities are working on plans to implement the restructuring of provinces, eliminate district-level units, and reorganize commune-level units.

Merging communes and wards into 80 units

During a recent meeting with District 1 authorities, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Van Duoc, stated that the city is preparing a plan to restructure the political apparatus according to Conclusion No. 127 of the Politburo and the Secretariat.

The number of commune-level administrative units in the city after the reorganization must be reduced in line with the national target, which aims to cut 60-70% of commune-level units. Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City would have around 80 communes and wards instead of the current 273.

Chairman Duoc noted that various plans are under consideration, with the most favored option being to eliminate all administrative boundaries and reorganize commune-level units based on population size, geography, and development potential, rather than being confined by existing administrative boundaries.

He emphasized that the reorganization will follow a model that distinguishes between urban and suburban areas, grouping similar economic and social conditions rather than rigid administrative divisions.

An urban development expert in Ho Chi Minh City stated that the city must merge communes following nationwide standards while ensuring practical local governance. Retaining the model of a city within a city will be challenging when adopting a two-tier local government model, as there is no room for an intermediary level under the central government’s regulations.

Ho Van