The Tân Thuận Export Processing Zone is connected to Tân Thuận Port in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Tuyến

HCM CITY — Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà on July 28 signed Decision No. 1625/QĐ-TTg to establish the Management Board of Export Processing and Industrial Zones of HCM City, aiming to streamline governance and support services across multiple industrial zones in the southern economic hub.

The new board is formed by merging three existing agencies: the Management Board of Industrial Parks in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, the Management Board of Industrial Parks in Bình Dương, and the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA), as Bình Dương and Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu provinces have now been merged into HCM City.

Operating directly under the municipal People’s Committee, the newly-established board will assume the role of state management for all export processing zones and industrial parks within the city’s jurisdiction.

It will also provide public administrative services and other support services related to investment, production, and business activities in these zones, in line with existing laws and regulations.

According to the decision, the board has full legal status, its own seal featuring the national emblem, and independent bank accounts.

Its operational funding will come from the State budget, including allocations for administrative management, public service activities, and development investment, as well as other legally approved sources.

The move is expected to help enhance administrative efficiency, reduce bureaucratic overlap, and better facilitate enterprises operating in the zones, which serve as vital engines for the city’s economic growth and foreign investment attraction.

The Chairman of the management board will be responsible for submitting a detailed proposal to the municipal People’s Committee regarding its functions, tasks, powers, and internal structure, in accordance with current legal frameworks.

The newly-issued decision takes effect immediately and supersedes several previous decisions, including Decision No. 731/TTg (October 3, 1996) on the establishment of HEPZA; Decision No. 692/QĐ-TTg (May 22, 2020) on merging the Management Board of Việt Nam - Singapore Industrial Parks into Bình Dương’s industrial zone authority; and Decision No. 485/TTg (July 29, 1996) on the creation of the Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu industrial zone authority.

The consolidation reflects the Government’s ongoing efforts to modernise governance structures and streamline economic zone management as part of broader reforms in administrative efficiency and investment facilitation. — VNS