The event was jointly organized by Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper and relevant Ho Chi Minh City agencies, including the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies and the Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones.
The seminar focused on analyzing the role of interregional infrastructure, institutions and energy in shaping a new-generation FTZ model, aimed at driving growth for Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeastern region.
In his remarks at the seminar, Mr. Do Thien Anh Tuan, an expert from the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, described the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh – Cai Mep corridor as the decisive “backbone” infrastructure for Ho Chi Minh City’s FTZ.
According to him, globally successful FTZs demonstrate that geography alone is not enough; fast and efficient connectivity is the critical factor.
Along the corridor, Thu Thiem is positioned as a financial and commercial hub, Long Thanh as an international aviation gateway, and Cai Mep–Thi Vai as a deep-water port complex serving Europe and North America. Seamless connectivity among these nodes would give Ho Chi Minh City’s FTZ a strong competitive edge, while fragmented links would raise costs and erode geographic advantages. Mr. Do Thien Anh Tuan also warned that interregional infrastructure, such as expressways, ring roads and railways, has lagged behind demand, resulting in high logistics costs and reduced investment attractiveness.
Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Tran Xuan Toan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, said that the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is a new development model expected to serve as a growth driver for Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring regions.
According to him, the city is facing two major opportunities from an expanded development space following its merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau provinces, alongside an increasingly interregional transport infrastructure, and the formation of an international financial center in Thu Thiem.
With special mechanisms and an appropriate legal framework, Ho Chi Minh City has strong potential to attract high-quality investment capital. However, it is essential to continue learning from international experience to ensure the effective and sustainable implementation of the FTZ, he emphasized.
