Urban planners and agricultural experts said at the workshop titled “Urban Agriculture—The Future of Farming within the City, Innovating for Sustainable Development,” held recently by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.
However, with the city’s rapid urban, industrial, and service-sector growth and shrinking land availability, experts emphasized the need for specific policies to encourage farmers and cooperatives to transition crops and adopt new technologies.
Effective models
Located about 10 kilometers from central Ho Chi Minh City, the 12-hectare organic vegetable farm of Nhat Thong Agriculture Co., Ltd. in Nha Be Commune sits amid a densely populated residential area. From early morning, Mr. Pham Huu Thoi, the company’s director, was already at the farm inspecting the soil moisture and nutrient sensor systems. According to Mr. Thoi, Ho Chi Minh City’s agricultural advantage lies in being close to the country’s largest consumer market, allowing products to be sold immediately after harvest and maintaining optimal quality.
“We developed this organic agricultural park so that Ho Chi Minh City residents can reconnect with nature without traveling far. Land in the city is limited, and costs are high, but I believe every urban area needs a clean agricultural buffer zone,” he said.
Tuan Ngoc Agricultural Cooperative in Long Truong Ward has adopted a high-tech agricultural model. Founded in 2017 as a small cooperative with an area of less than 1,000 square meters and seven members, the cooperative has expanded over eight years to operate three farms in Ho Chi Minh City, totaling 9,000 square meters.
Recently, the cooperative has begun expanding into neighboring localities, including Dong Nai and Lam Dong. Its hydroponic vegetables are grown in greenhouse environments, with humidity, temperature, and light levels fully controlled through automated systems. In recent years, the cooperative has made significant investments in digital transformation, including electronic logbooks, greenhouse monitoring systems, and order management platforms.
Meanwhile, at the Nong Phat cantaloupe farm in Dong Thanh Commune, the melons are grown in greenhouses, with each plant cultivated in an individual pot. Walkways are covered with mats to prevent weeds and protect the plants from soil and sand splashing. Mr. Trang Quoc Dung, the farm owner, said the cantaloupes are cultivated using high-tech agricultural methods, ensuring safe products that are in demand by major domestic supermarkets and also exported, generating hundreds of millions of VND in profit per hectare.
According to Dr. To Thi Thuy Trang of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, the development of modern, sustainable urban agriculture leveraging high-tech and biotechnology methods is an inevitable direction for Ho Chi Minh City, given its limited agricultural land. The city possesses distinct advantages for urban agriculture, including easy access to skilled labor and investment capital, as well as a large consumer market with strong demand for clean, high-quality agricultural products.
Appropriate incentive policies
In practice, establishing high-tech agricultural farms requires substantial investment.
Mr. Lam Ngoc Tuan, Director of Tuan Ngoc Agricultural Cooperative, said that a high-tech greenhouse costs around VND1 billion (US$37,932), while the available support loan for each member is only about VND100 million (US$3,793). He also expressed the hope that mechanisms to support land access for high-tech agriculture in Ho Chi Minh City will be implemented soon, rather than forcing cooperatives to seek production land in other provinces.
To develop large-scale commercial agriculture along the full chain from production to processing and consumption in a high-tech, circular, and sustainable manner, Architect Ngo Anh Vu, M.Sc., of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Urban Planning and Construction, emphasized the need to swiftly establish and refine mechanisms and incentive policies for urban agriculture at multiple levels. The key focus should be operating according to circular economy principles, optimizing land use, and minimizing environmental pollution.
Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment, Vo Thanh Giau, stated that as the city expands its urban space, develops key economic and service sectors, and moves toward an ecological urban model, agriculture is also undergoing a strong transformation toward modern, high-tech, and multi-value production.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has more than 2,300 organizations and individuals certified under VietGAP, covering nearly 4,800 hectares of cultivated land. In terms of organic agriculture, the city has seven facilities certified to meet national standards, totaling 4.59 hectares. Although still limited in scale, these foundations provide a basis for expanding safe, sustainable production models and enhancing the value of agricultural products in the coming years.
To achieve this, the department has proposed that the city address existing obstacles and difficulties, enabling businesses and cooperatives to access capital and scientific-technical support, thereby fostering investment in sustainable agricultural production,” said Vo Thanh Giau.
Speaking at the workshop, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Bui Minh Thanh, emphasized that the city’s agricultural development must be built on a foundation of science, technology, and innovation, particularly in biotechnology, automation, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and traceability systems.
The city plans to establish dynamic agricultural zones in the Southeastern region while refining mechanisms and policies, especially regarding land use, green credit, and technology transfer. Agricultural development should be integrated with urban spatial reorganization, including the creation of green belts and modern agricultural trading platforms.
