Prime Minister suggests billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong build subway in Ho Chi Minh City

At the conference on the afternoon of January 4, Mr. Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said that the general goal of the Planning is to develop Ho Chi Minh City into a "global, civilized, modern, humane, dynamic and creative city; a city with high-quality human resources, modern services and industry, a locomotive of green economy, digital economy, digital society, economic, financial, trade - service, cultural, educational, scientific - technological center of the whole country; deep international integration, with a prominent position in the Southeast Asian region; economic growth rate and GRDP per capita among the top in the country and surpassing the high-income threshold; a city with a high quality of life, rich in identity, sustainable environment, adapting to climate change".

Economically, the Plan targets an average GRDP of about 8.5-9%/year, with an average GRDP per capita of 14,800-15,400 USD.

According to the Plan, Ho Chi Minh City will form concentrated agricultural production areas; develop key industries; become the e-commerce center of the Southeast region; develop Ho Chi Minh City into 3 sub-regions, including the central sub-region, Thu Duc sub-region and suburban sub-region.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung assessed that the Ho Chi Minh City Development Plan not only plays an extremely important role and significance for the city's socio-economic development but also for the development of the whole country.

However, according to Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, the approval is only the initial result. There is still much work to be done to bring the Plan into life and become a reality.

Thereby, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung suggested that in the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City needs to focus on 5 tasks.

In particular, focusing on investing resources in developing transport infrastructure to ensure smooth connections within the city, between provinces, between regions and internationally; focusing on developing traffic routes connecting to Long Thanh airport, Bien Hoa city (Dong Nai) and Binh Duong province, accelerating the implementation of the Project to form an international financial center and the Project to build Can Gio international transit port; developing digital infrastructure; solving problems of flooding and environmental pollution; especially air pollution, ensuring water security.

The city needs to take advantage of the green, smart, and modern development trend to attract strategic investors and high-quality resources; focus on attracting investment projects that fully ensure all three factors: advanced technology, environmental protection, and the use of high-quality human resources.

"2 reinforcements, 3 vanguards"

Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted that the planning has been approved, the remaining task is how to implement it to bring sustainable development to Ho Chi Minh City and the whole country.

The Prime Minister also informed that since the beginning of his term, the whole country has completed 111/111 planning projects. In particular, the Prime Minister was particularly impressed with the planning of Ho Chi Minh City.

“Ho Chi Minh City has invested effort and intelligence to create a Master Plan that promotes its leading role and its symbolic value of constant innovation. The Master Plan demonstrates a far-sighted vision, a clear innovative mindset and great determination. You should also be proud of your achievements,” the Prime Minister shared.

To implement the planning, the Prime Minister requested Ho Chi Minh City to implement "2 enhancements and 3 pioneering".

Specifically, first of all, increase investment in people. Second, strengthen connectivity with regions, the economy, and the whole country through transport infrastructure, digital infrastructure, supply chains, product and market diversification...

"3 pioneers", according to the Prime Minister, include: Developing strategic infrastructure of transport, digital infrastructure, healthcare, society, sports, hard and soft infrastructure; promoting innovation in science and technology and digital transformation; attracting training and developing high-quality human resources, attracting and retaining talent.

The Prime Minister also noted that when implementing planning, we must not be conservative; when new issues arise, they need to be updated and changed.

"Ho Chi Minh City must build a modern, smart, regionally connected city, competitive internationally and a driving force for the region, the growth pole of the country" - the Prime Minister noted.

At the conference, the Prime Minister informed more about the proposal that billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, Chairman of Vingroup Corporation, build a subway system from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio district.

"I discussed with Mr. Vuong, Chairman of Vingroup, about building a metro system from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio district. Mr. Vuong agreed and was very enthusiastic about this proposal," said the Prime Minister.

From this, the Prime Minister suggested to Ho Chi Minh City that more work should be assigned to large enterprises. The Prime Minister requested that this spirit be thoroughly understood when implementing the planning.

Speaking to receive comments, Mr. Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, pledged that the city will implement the approved plan and the Prime Minister's instructions as well as proposals from ministries and branches.

“With the support of the Central Government, the companionship of businesses, investors and people, Ho Chi Minh City has enough confidence to quickly and effectively implement the Planning in the coming time,” said Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen.