Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, chaired a conference.
According to reports, during the 2026 Tet holiday, Ho Chi Minh City completed the distribution of gifts from the State President to more than 78,000 revolution contributors and their families, with total funding of nearly VND23.9 billion (US$921,356). The city allocated over VND2.123 trillion (US$82 million) from the budget to support more than 1.15 million beneficiaries, and mobilized VND3.772 trillion (US$145 million) to assist over 2.86 million union members and workers.
Socio-economic indicators in the first two months of the year posted impressive results. State budget revenue exceeded VND165 trillion (US$6.4 million), up 10.8 percent; the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rose 14.6 percent; total retail sales and service revenue increased 13.1 percent; exports reached US$14.72 billion, up 10.58 percent; and foreign direct investment (FDI) neared US$1 billion, up 28.4 percent.
Concluding the conference, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee noted that Tet 2026 had been organized in a thoughtful, warm, joyful, safe and humane manner. The city’s socio-economic indicators showed strong growth in the first two months. However, he pointed out the ongoing issue of responsibility avoidance and a lack of smooth coordination among departments and agencies, while the target of achieving double-digit growth remains highly challenging.
Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc requested departments and agencies to focus on removing obstacles for businesses, particularly in administrative procedures. The city will establish a task force to monitor the progress of public and private investment projects, and develop an index to evaluate each unit’s efficiency in handling administrative dossiers. This will serve as a basis for year-end staff assessment, ensuring transparency, clear rewards and penalties, and results-based evaluation.
The Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee also highlighted the rising trend of recurrent expenditures and instructed the municipal Department of Finance to consult on budget management in a way that minimizes regular spending while prioritizing development investment. Relevant departments and agencies were urged to promptly complete procedures to launch projects and accelerate disbursement from the beginning of the year.
At the same time, the city will comprehensively prepare for the elections of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term.
