 "Ho Chi Minh City delegation listens to a briefing on the Lingang New Area in Shanghai, China. (Photo: SGGP)")
Located southeast of Shanghai, the Lin-gang Special Area is an expansion zone of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone. The area possesses major geographical advantages, linking the Yangshan Deep Water Port to the south with Pudong International Airport to the north, and benefits from breakthrough policies regarding trade, investment, financial liberalization, and the mobility of global talent.
According to Zhou Xuming, Party Secretary and Second-Level Inspector at the Lin-gang Special Area Management Committee, the area is state-funded and state-managed, with a core zone covering 431 square kilometers. All central fiscal revenues generated from the area are retained locally to fund its development.
Established in 2019, the Lin-gang Special Area facilitates foreign investment and business operations by promoting the free flow of goods import and export, capital, transportation, labor usage, and information access.
Expressing gratitude to the Lin-gang Special Area Management Committee for its warm reception, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Nguyen Van Duoc, stated that the visit aimed to study Shanghai's port-adjacent free trade zone model firsthand. He noted that Shanghai's experience, particularly with Lin-gang, offers practical reference value for Ho Chi Minh City as it develops a free trade zone linked to the Cai Mep Ha Port.
The Ho Chi Minh City leadership has designated municipal departments and agencies—specifically the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA)—as the focal point to continue researching and finalizing plans for establishing a Free Trade Zone in Ho Chi Minh City.
