Attending the session were Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc; former Secretary of the Party Committee and former Chairman of the People’s Council of the old province of Ba Ria–Vung Tau, Pham Viet Thanh; former Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council, Nguyen Thi Le; Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Dang Minh Thong; and members of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee.
Presiding over the session were Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Chairman of the City People’s Council Vo Van Minh and Vice Chairpersons of the City People’s Council Pham Thanh Kien, Tran Van Tuan, Huynh Thanh Nhan, and Nguyen Truong Nhat Phuong.
In his opening speech, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Vo Van Minh emphasized that it has been 25 days since the official merger of three localities, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria–Vung Tau and Binh Duong provinces, and the implementation of the two-tier local government model.
The newly expanded Ho Chi Minh City now spans an area 3.25 times larger than before and is home to nearly 15 million residents. The city is gradually realizing its aspiration to become a modern, multifunctional megacity, positioning itself as a national and regional hub for economics and finance, services and trade, industry and logistics, seaports, and tourism. As a key driver of growth not only for the Southern Key Economic Region but also for the entire nation, Ho Chi Minh City carries the hopes and trust of the country in its transformation into a powerful economic engine.
In this context, the second session of the 10th-term Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council holds significant importance in concretizing the development policies and directives following the merger. The session aims to ensure the swift stabilization of administrative structures across the city’s wards, communes, and special zones, while promoting robust and sustainable socio-economic development.
At this session, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council will hear, discuss, and review key issues for resolution. Specifically, the Council will assess the implementation results of the socio-economic development, national defense and security plans in the first 6 months of the year while setting forth priority tasks and solutions for the remaining six months of 2025.
According to Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Vo Van Minh, despite favorable conditions and significant challenges in the first half of the year, including several issues that exceeded initial projections, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded encouraging signs of socio-economic progress thanks to the close, responsible leadership of the Party committees and governments of the three former localities before the merger, as well as the determined, proactive, and flexible efforts of all levels of administration and sectors.
Notably, the city’s government and its 168 wards, communes, and special zones have swiftly stabilized their administrative structures and promptly carried out their assigned tasks. Their actions have been coordinated, methodical, and in strict accordance with established procedures, yielding initial results that align with the set objectives and timelines. These efforts reflect a shared commitment to the overarching goal of building a government that serves the people, serving the people better and more effectively.
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council will also hear a report from the city’s chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, outlining its recent activities in contributing to local governance and summarizing public feedback and petitions from delegates.
In addition, the Council will review and provide feedback on several key reports, including an assessment of the Council’s performance in the first half of the year and the core work plan for the second half of 2025; an examination of the results of a thematic oversight report on the implementation of Resolution 98/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly on piloting specific mechanisms and policies for the city's development; approval of the Council’s 2026 oversight program; and revisions to its working regulations covering the operations of the Council, its Standing Committee, affiliated committees, representative groups, and individual councilors.
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council is also expected to review and adopt a number of key resolutions aimed at driving socio-economic development and improving the quality of life for residents, particularly addressing practical challenges that have emerged during the administrative reorganization and the establishment of the two-tier local government system in the city, and carrying out personnel matters within its jurisdiction.
Mr. Vo Van Minh emphasized that the issues being considered, discussed, and decided at this session carry significant importance in ensuring the achievement of Ho Chi Minh City’s socio-economic development goals for 2025 and laying the groundwork for the effective implementation of the 11th Party Congress Resolution of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and the city's 2021–2025 socio-economic development plan.
He called on all delegates to thoroughly study and engage in in-depth discussions on each agenda item, contributing thoughtful and high-quality input. This would provide a strong foundation for the People’s Council to adopt resolutions that are both practical and highly implementable.
The city’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) is estimated to have grown by 7.82 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Budget revenue is projected to reach VND322 trillion (US$12.3 billion), accounting for over 62 percent of the annual target.
Following the administrative merger, Ho Chi Minh City has disbursed VND46.69 trillion (US$1.78 billion) in public investment capital, equivalent to 39.2 percent of the allocation assigned by the Prime Minister. This disbursement rate is higher than the national average.
