The expansion of development space following the merger is ushering Ho Chi Minh City into a deep restructuring cycle in industry and investment attraction. Not only is the land area increasing, but the city is also strongly shifting towards a new generation industrial model: greener, more technologically advanced, and closely linked to regional integration…
These changes are expected to lay the long-term foundation for Ho Chi Minh City to continue playing the leading economic role in the Southern key economic region.
FROM CENTRAL CITIES TO REGIONAL-CONNECTED “MEGACITIES”: A NEW APPEAL
At the Vietnam Industrial Park Forum 2025, co-organized by VIZ and IDH, Mr. Truong Van Phong, Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing Zones and Industrial Parks Management Board (HEPZA), stated that after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City has become a "megacity" playing a connecting role in the Southern key economic region. Based on this foundation, the city has established three main development hubs: Ho Chi Minh City: the economic center; Dong Nai - Binh Duong: the industrial suburbs; and Ba Ria - Vung Tau: the port and supporting industry center.
With this network advantage, Ho Chi Minh City has attracted quite a lot of investment in 2025. Specifically in the industrial park sector, the report shows that from the beginning of the year until now, the city has attracted approximately 5.3 million square meters of industrial space, equivalent to 501 million square meters of total investment capital across the entire area.
Currently, industrial parks in the area have achieved an occupancy rate of approximately 751 TP3T, which is considered a very positive result.
Explaining why Ho Chi Minh City continues to attract investors, the Deputy Head of HEPZA affirmed that the synergy between transportation infrastructure, management reforms, and green development strategies has helped Ho Chi Minh City maintain its appeal to domestic and foreign investors. However, that is not enough. To anticipate a new wave of foreign investment, the city needs to proactively prepare more fundamental conditions.
The city is currently reviewing its planning with the goal of ensuring suitable land allocation for the next phase. Overall, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to have approximately 150 industrial parks, covering an area of about 50,000 hectares. Of these, 39 industrial parks will continue to be planned according to the city's assigned industrial park development plan. Specifically, in the period 2026–2030, Ho Chi Minh City will develop an additional 16,000 hectares of land to be ready to attract new investors.
Representatives from the city's Export Processing Zones and Industrial Parks Management Board stated that most current procedures are integrated through a "one-stop shop" mechanism, minimizing the need for businesses to interact with multiple agencies. The city is also finalizing the process of digitizing all documents, enabling businesses to process applications remotely without needing to visit government agencies in person.
More importantly, procedures will be made more transparent, saving time, reducing informal costs, and creating a transparent environment for businesses.
GREEN INDUSTRIAL PARKS WITH HIGH ADDED VALUE ARE THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION FOR ATTRACTING FDI.
The Deputy Head of HEPZA also stated that the city currently has a clear direction: priorities. cClean industries, which use minimal unskilled labor, require small land areas, and minimize environmental impact, are developing rapidly, with the eco-industrial park model becoming a key focus.
“"The dossier for the country's first eco-industrial park is awaiting approval. If approved, this will be an important milestone, laying the foundation for new industrial parks and creating a precedent for existing industrial parks to transform from a traditional model to an eco-model," Mr. Phong informed.
According to HEPZA leaders, with its infrastructure advantages, land potential, and increasingly effective coordination between departments and local authorities, Ho Chi Minh City expects to continue to affirm its position as a strategic investment destination in the Southern key economic region in the coming time.
Considering that the "merger of provinces and cities" is not simply a matter of addition or the consolidation of 2-3 localities, Mr. Dao Xuan Duc, former Deputy Head of the HEPZA Management Board, commented: this is a leap of "multiplication," opening up entirely new development space and promoting industrial production development.
Mr. Duc stated that previously, when implementing development strategies, localities often only looked at their own individual plans. For example, Binh Duong had never considered building a bridge connecting to Dong Nai in the border area. Similarly, in Binh Thuan, when linking with Lam Dong and Dak Nong, there was never a plan to build a highway from Phan Thiet to Gia Nghia (Dak Nong). However, upon reviewing the regional development map, ideas for linkages began to emerge naturally.
Similarly, Ho Chi Minh City is currently preparing for several strategic connections: the city has authorized research into a metro line extending to Can Giuoc and will soon build a new bridge connecting to Ben Luc (Long An). “If completed, people will be able to take the metro directly to Long An – something that was never considered before the “regional confirmation”,” Mr. Duc said; adding that each new development space opens up significant opportunities for industry and investment in the next phase.
Regarding the story of industrial parks, the speaker emphasized that to attract the upcoming investment capital, industrial parks must transform. Not only the industrial parks themselves, but also the industries within them must change if they want to survive and thrive in the new era. A clear lesson from the past years is that we cannot continue to chase quantity or simply focus on achieving high occupancy rates. Previously, due to the pressure of recouping investment, many infrastructure investors prioritized filling the area at all costs. But in recent years, that approach has had to change: industrial parks need to focus on the quality of investors, rather than just achieving high occupancy rates.
On this occasion, Mr. Duc also suggested that the Government should soon promulgate the Law on Economic Zones and Industrial Parks, because the current draft has been prepared for a long time, but has not yet been approved by the National Assembly. Meanwhile, there are 430 industrial parks nationwide, but there is no specific law to regulate them.
“"Currently, management is limited to decrees and circulars – which are subject to overlapping regulations and laws from other specialized sectors. This leads to many procedural obstacles, and many preferential mechanisms or specific policies for economic zones and industrial parks cannot be implemented," Mr. Duc stated, highlighting the reality.
Representing businesses in Ho Chi Minh City's industrial zones, Mr. Vo Van Than, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Industrial Zone Business Association (HBA), stated that the expansion of Ho Chi Minh City has created a significant impetus for industrial development.
According to Mr. Than, the most obvious advantage is the unprecedented expansion of land resources and industrial development scale. By 2050, Ho Chi Minh City is projected to have 105 industrial parks with a total area of approximately 49,242 hectares. This represents significant potential for developing new-generation industrial parks oriented towards high technology, ecological, smart, and circular technologies.
Notably, the city has identified four key industrial sectors to focus on attracting investment: microchips, semiconductors, batteries, and new materials; selective chemicals; precision engineering, automation, and robotics; and food and beverage processing. These are high-tech industries, less susceptible to direct tariff barriers, and aligned with global sustainable development trends.
Furthermore, an integrated regional industrial ecosystem model is gradually taking shape, with Ho Chi Minh City playing the role of a center for innovation and services, Binh Duong as a manufacturing hub, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau responsible for logistics and seaports. This organizational structure helps businesses reduce costs, shorten supply chains, and enhance competitiveness.
The expansion of Ho Chi Minh City not only changes the administrative map, but more importantly, reshapes the industrial development and investment space of the entire Southern key economic region. With a larger land area, stronger infrastructure connectivity, and a clear orientation towards green and high-tech industries, Ho Chi Minh City is building a foundation to attract a wave of high-quality investment in the long term.
Challenges remain, but the new approach shows that Ho Chi Minh City is moving towards a more selective, sustainable, and in-depth direction in industrial development.
Nguyet Ha
20/12/2025, 22:24
