VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung on Tuesday asked HCM City to tap diverse resources to invest in major infrastructure project to increase its global competitiveness and become a major player in Southeast Asia as well as the Asia-Pacific region.

Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung speaks at a conference on an adjusted master plan for HCM City and surrounding localities held on Tuesday in HCM City. Photo tuoitrethudo.vn

Towards this, the city should also carefully consider improvements to its road infrastructure and implement an adjusted master plan to strengthen links with neighbouring localities, he said.

Top priority should be given to Belt Roads 3 and 4, the Long Thanh International Airport, Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport, and railway routes connecting industrial parks, economic zones and seaports, Dung said at a conference held in the city.

HCM City and surrounding provinces, which are home to major international airports and seaports, have a total population of 19 million, contribute 42 per cent of national GDP and 51 per cent of the country’s exports, the meeting heard.     

HCM City Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said the administration planned to develop satellite cities to reduce population density in its downtown area.

One of the major challenges facing the city was inadequate transportation infrastructure, he said, adding that the city and other provinces had agreed to develop a railway line between the city and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta.

“HCM City aims to become an economic, trade and education hub in Southeast Asia. The city must be well connected with surrounding localities,” he said.

Le Thanh Liem, vice chairman of the Binh Duong People’s Committee, agreed that it was vital to boost connectivity between HCM City and surrounding provinces.

A project to build the HCM City-Binh Duong-Chon Thanh expressway, however, is yet to begin implementation, although it has been discussed for 15 years.

He also agreed that it was critically important to develop the railways sector to share the burden with roads and improve cargo transportation capacities in the region.   

Huynh Anh Minh, vice chairman of the Binh Phuoc People’s Committee, asked that the Government considers a trans-Asia railway network to improve transport connections with Cambodia and Myanmar.

Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, Nguyen Thien Nhan, said he was concerned about the tardiness of transport projects in the city.

Nhan said the city should not develop transport projects based solely on State Budget and ODA (Official Development Assistance) funds, and should look to other investment sources.

Plan adjustments

Deputy PM Dung said the project to adjust the master plan for HCM City and surrounding provinces had been studied carefully.

He praised the proposed development model, which ensures climate-change adaptation.

Besides HCM City, the region is divided into four sub-regions and key economic corridors, with the city expected to play a key role as the centre of the region.

The four subregions are: Binh Duong Province in the northern part of the region, Bien Hoa-Long Thanh-Nhon Trach in the eastern part, Cu Chi-Hau Nghia-Duc Hoa in the northwest, and Ben Luc-Can Giuoc-Hiep Phuoc in the southwestern area.

The adjusted master plan emphasises the importance of the eastern Bien Hoa-Long Thanh-Nhon Trach area and the tourism potential of coastal areas.

Under the new plan, Binh Duong will be linked to National Highway 51 and National Highway 22 corridors, which are important gateways for seaports, airports and border gates.

The new plan should identify linkages between industrial parks, hi-tech agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourist resorts and heritage preservation areas as well as historic sites and biodiversity conservation areas, Dung said.

It will also anticipate the risk of population concentration in central urban areas of HCM City, the effects of natural disasters and other adverse effects on the region’s development and recommend solutions, he said.

The Deputy PM asked concerned agencies to study and make proposals to the adjusted plan to ensure efficiency in implementation.

A Construction Ministry official said that it would work with agencies to collect ideas from the conference and complete the adjusted plan.

The original master plan, approved by the Government in 2008, provided an important scientific and legal basis for the development of investment plans for each locality and the entire region. However, the plan had to be adjusted to keep up with rapid changes on the ground, officials said at the conference.

Source: VNS