Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed off last week on a decision to create the Ho Chi Minh City Region by 2030 with a vision to 2050.
The master plan will connect the country's largest city with key economic regions in the South Central Coast and in the context of climate change and rising sea levels.
The planning area includes Ho Chi Minh City and the regional provinces of Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Ba Ria -Vung Tau and Tien Giang, a total area of 30, 404 sq km that had a population of just over 18 million in 2013.
The plan will also develop rural areas that suit traditional culture and production conditions and establish hi-tech agriculture zones, urban agriculture zones and specialized agriculture zones.
In order to preserve natural landscapes and ecological features, the plan suggests the establishment of national - and international - level tourism centres.
