It also hosts the nation's deepest seaport, the only port in Southern Vietnam with direct shipping routes to Europe and the Americas.
With the recent administrative merger linking Ho Chi Minh City to Ba Ria–Vung Tau and Con Dao Special Zone, the city has transitioned from its earlier coastal development strategy centered on the Can Gio area to becoming the most strategically positioned locality in Vietnam for maritime economic development. This enhanced position gives the city a distinct advantage in key sectors such as offshore oil and gas exploration, energy, deep-sea port operations, and sea tourism.
By encompassing the Ganh Rai Bay area in the Southeast of Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh City has created a continuous space from Saigon River Port to Cat Lai on the Soai Rap River and Can Gio International Transshipment Port, shaping a strategic vision for an integrated marine economic ecosystem. The envisioned ecosystem spans key sectors, including energy, maritime transport, logistics, industry, fisheries, tourism, commerce, and services.
The strategic use of maritime space to connect the city’s mountains, lowlands, and offshore islands reflects Ho Chi Minh City's ambition to establish an integrated gateway for a megacity and a regional economic powerhouse in Asia.
In this context, the marine economy, extending across the coastal axis from Can Gio to Ba Ria–Vung Tau and Con Dao, is not only viewed as a driver of economic privilege and international integration but also as a frontline in safeguarding national sovereignty over maritime territories and the continental shelf.
Can Gio stands out as a model for conserving natural heritage, where local communities have long coexisted with the mangrove forest and actively contributed to its protection. Notably, Ho Chi Minh City allocates VND1,156,000 per hectare per year to support the Can Gio protective forest, significantly higher than the national subsidy rate of VND400,000 per hectare set by the central government. Con Dao serves as a living laboratory for infrastructure, transport, economic development, and heritage conservation.
Recent strategic directives from Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang and Chairman of the People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc, Con Dao Special Zone, have put in a vision of "maritime spatial planning and interconnectivity," linking the sea with the mainland, natural resources with cultural heritage, development, and conservation. Within this vision, long-standing tensions between development and environmental protection, particularly the preservation of the Can Gio mangrove forest, the Con Dao Marine Protected Area, and the Vung Tau coastal corridor featuring service, trade, and tourism activities, have been directly addressed, ensuring development that is green, clean, and balanced with clearly defined personal accountability.
Overlapping in planning and management policies, lack of synchronization in transport infrastructure development, and momentum for driving the maritime economy, particularly the inadequacy of logistics systems to meet the needs of export-oriented enterprises, remain key challenges that must be addressed fundamentally and effectively soon.
In addition, the draft documents for the 1st Congress of the HCMC Party Committee for the 2025–2030 term are being updated to reflect the city's new socio-economic master plan following recent administrative consolidation. It will also include proposed amendments to National Assembly Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15, which provides special pilot mechanisms and policies for Ho Chi Minh City’s development. The revised framework is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly during its year-end session.
On a broader scale, Ho Chi Minh City's maritime space is being activated through a network of integrated infrastructure, including Con Dao Airport, a planned high-speed rail line running from downtown Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio, coastal and maritime routes linking Can Gio with Ba Ria–Vung Tau, and the proposed Cai Mep Ha free trade zone, contributing to promoting stronger development of Ho Chi Minh City in the new period.
