The Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee held a conference yesterday to gather input for the draft political report for the city's first Party Congress for the term 2025–2030.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the City Bar Association, the Lawyers’ Association, and other key organizations.
Chaired by Deputy Secretary Nguyen Phuoc Loc of the City Party Committee, the discussion focused on leveraging the city's unique advantages and resources to drive its future growth.
Associate Professor Phan Thanh Binh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, contributed a notable perspective, highlighting Ho Chi Minh City's status as a megacity. He stressed the need for the city to retain a larger share of central budget revenues, arguing that the current allocation does not reflect its new scale and role.
Dr. Binh emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City's development should now be benchmarked against other major global and regional cities, not just against other provinces in Vietnam. The increased budget retention, he argued, is essential to fuel the city's development and ensure it can compete effectively on the international stage.
The feedback from this conference will be incorporated into the final political report, which will guide the city’s development strategy for the next five years.
Addressing the strategic importance of the city, Professor Nguyen Van Phuoc, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations, highlighted that after the merger of three localities, Ho Chi Minh City possesses vast advantages, resources, and potential.
In the coming term, he suggested, the city should identify hallmark contributions of national significance and prioritize a transition toward a green economy, renewable energy, and environmentally friendly power sources. He stressed that transportation, construction, and urban infrastructure must also align with green development criteria.
Architect Nguyen Truong Luu, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Architects’ Association, proposed that urban planning must be approached systematically with a long-term vision to avoid overlaps and waste. He noted that planning should take into account the advantages of the three merged localities and outline measures to maximize their combined strengths and resources, ensuring that Ho Chi Minh City develops to its full potential.
In closing, Deputy Secretary Nguyen Phuoc Loc acknowledged the valuable contributions, noting that the opinions reflected practical realities, offered in-depth analysis, and demonstrated the dedication and sense of responsibility of the city’s Fatherland Front Committee, professional associations, and social organizations.
He affirmed that the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee will carefully consider and direct the drafting subcommittee to review, refine, and supplement the political report so that the document presented at the first Party Congress of Ho Chi Minh City truly embodies the wisdom, will, and aspirations of the Party organization and the people of the city.
