'Dong Nai will be a growth pole, shouldering the burden of the economy'
Speaking at a group meeting on the morning of April 20th, Dong Nai Provincial Party Secretary Vu Hong Van emphasized that the province has all the conditions to become a centrally-governed city, and is striving to be a growth pole to contribute to the national economy.
According to Vu Hong Van , Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee , the establishment of Dong Nai City as a centrally-administered city is not simply about upgrading the administrative structure, but also about establishing an advanced governance system.
Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee Vu Hong Van
PHOTO: GIA HAN
Dong Nai province currently holds a significant position in terms of population size, area, and economy, along with numerous revolutionary historical sites. Dong Nai is also home to a large number of people who have migrated from various provinces and cities to live here.
When the former Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces were merged, some mountainous administrative units did not meet the standards of the new rural development program. However, after a year of merger, these areas showed great vitality and strong development, and today the new Dong Nai province has fully met the criteria to become a centrally-governed city.
Beyond just quantity, Mr. Van emphasized that the establishment of Dong Nai City as a centrally-governed city will focus on developing both revenue collection capacity and labor productivity.
In 2025, the Government's Resolution set a revenue target of 70,000 billion VND, but Dong Nai province exceeded 100,000 billion VND, placing it among the highest-growth provinces nationwide. This year, the province is ready to set a target of 150,000 billion VND to contribute to the state budget.
"The Party's policy is mature and we have carefully reviewed it; any delay in implementation would mean missing out on development opportunities," Mr. Van said.
The Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee also affirmed that establishing a new administrative unit, transitioning from a rural to an urban governance model, without effective development, with low living standards for the people, and merely being a formality, would fail to fulfill the tasks assigned by the Central Government and the National Assembly.
Therefore, the locality has decided to strive to become a growth pole, sharing the burden of the national economy.
New growth pole for the Southeast region.
Supporting the policy of elevating Dong Nai to a centrally-governed city, delegate Truong Minh Huy Vu (from Ho Chi Minh City delegation) stated that after the merger on July 1st, the Southeast region now comprises three provinces: Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh.
"The Capital City Law currently under discussion clearly defines the Capital Region. We also want to incorporate this concept into the special mechanism of the Ho Chi Minh City region, which includes Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, and surrounding areas. The combined economic scale of this region is nearly 3 trillion VND, incredibly powerful," Mr. Vu stated.
Representative Tran Hoang Ngan (Ho Chi Minh City delegation)
PHOTO: GIA HAN
According to the Ho Chi Minh City delegation, the world has very common urban expansion areas such as the Paris region, the Guangzhou expansion area, the Pearl River Delta, etc., which are fundamentally based on interconnected core urban clusters for mutual development.
"Looking from Ho Chi Minh City's perspective, I strongly support Dong Nai becoming a centrally-governed city to create a new growth pole for the Southeast region and incorporate it into the concept of the Ho Chi Minh City region," said delegate Truong Minh Huy Vu.
However, he also pointed out some challenges. After the merger, the new Dong Nai province has many green spaces and forests. So how should urbanization deal with these green spaces, especially when the planning of the former Binh Phuoc also emphasized ecological agriculture, agriculture under the forest canopy, and its role as a buffer zone bordering Cambodia?
Furthermore, when Dong Nai becomes a city, it will need some specific mechanisms and policies that Ho Chi Minh City already has experience with. For example, the Long Thanh - Thu Thiem metro project, although the line runs through many localities, the special mechanisms for metros only apply to Ho Chi Minh City; when it runs through Dong Nai, those special mechanisms are no longer applicable.
Representative Tran Hoang Ngan (Ho Chi Minh City) also suggested that for Dong Nai to develop sustainably, the planning must pay special attention to urban areas along the Dong Nai River.
This locality also has many industrial clusters and zones, so environmental issues, wastewater, and waste management are very important, especially considering the impact of the Dong Nai River on water security not only in Dong Nai but also in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region.