Củ Chi District in HCM City. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY — A top legislator in HCM City has urged Củ Chi outlying district to develop into a city under the jurisdiction of HCM City, instead of an urban district.

Nguyễn Thị Lệ noted that Củ Chi has seen rapid urbanisation in recent years, with the creation of new urban areas, construction of new roads and improved lifestyles.

“Many of its criteria for urban development such as population, area, socio-economic indicators, education levels and urban infrastructure have reached the standards of a city,” she said.

To achieve the goal of becoming a city within the city like Thủ Đức, Củ Chi must improve state management in all fields, including the fight against corruption and wastefulness.

It must review all public investment projects, especially their feasibility; and work to solicit investment for developing new urban areas, industrial parks, tourist areas, and commercial zones, she added. 

Nguyễn Quyết Thắng, secretary of Củ Chi Party Committee, said Củ Chi, which borders Hóc Môn District and the provinces of Bình Dương, Tây Ninh and Long An, aimed to become a logistics hub that would connect with industrial zones in Bình Dương, Tây Ninh and Long An. 

Some investors had shown interest in developing five-star nursing home facilities that offer high-end medical and health care services in Củ Chi, he said.

The district is currently calling for investment in nine projects covering nearly 6,000 hectares of land, according to the secretary.

Part of its agricultural land will be converted to develop high-tech industries and services with higher added value.

It will also enhance the application of technologies in production and business to improve land use effectiveness.

Even after it develops into a city, Củ Chi will continue to maintain its agriculture sector and develop rural communes to attract tourists. 

Võ Văn Hoan, deputy chairman of the district People’s Committee, said the district must speed up major projects like the Tây Bắc (Northwest) urban area and the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden.

The expressway from An Sương to Mộc Bài and Ring Road No. 3 should be accelerated to link Củ Chi and Hóc Môn districts with the eastern part of HCM City and Đồng Nai Province, he said.

The possibility of having roads running along the Đồng Nai River to Củ Chi should be studied in order to shorten the travel time and develop ecotourism, he added.

Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, head of the Department of Planning and Architecture's general planning management, said Củ Chi should be developed into a green urban area for tourism by maintaining trade villages.

Ecotourism should be developed at the Củ Chi Tunnels and the Bến Dược Temple, he added.

Huỳnh Đăng Nhựt Tâm, director of Vietnam Brand Travel Company, said to improve its tourism products, Củ Chi District must improve its road infrastructure to better connect with downtown HCM City.

Though it is just 30km from downtown HCM City, it now takes more than two hours to get there by car because of traffic congestion. 

The district would also need to improve its tourism human resources, Tâm said.

The HCM City administration had earlier announced a plan to speed up urbanisation of Củ Chi, Hóc Môn, Bình Chánh, Nhà Bè and Cần Giờ in order to make them urban districts by 2030.

Củ Chi has an area of 435sq.km, mostly farmland, with a population of 468,000.

The corresponding figures are more than 109sq.km and 463,000 for Hóc Môn, 252sq.km and 711,000 for Bình Chánh, 100sq.km and 208,000 for Nhà Bè, and 704sq.km and 73,000 for Cần Giờ. — VNS