A view of HCM City’s central area located along the Sài Gòn River. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

HCM CITY — HCM City aims to become a multi-centre urban area by following a transit-oriented development (TOD) model, according to its general planning for construction by 2040, with a vision to 2060.

Municipal People's Committee Chairman Phan Văn Mãi has asked relevant departments and agencies to update the planning for the city’s transport system based on the general construction planning, along the direction of gradually reducing traffic pressure on the city’s central area and developing satellite urban areas associated with main urban functions in the overall city and urban areas.

Under this scheme, Thủ Đức city will be a smart, highly interactive and innovative urban area in the city's eastern part, and Cần Giờ District will be turned into an ecological urban area serving as a gateway for international trade by sea.

Meanwhile, the southern and southwestern urban areas to be a gateway connecting with the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, and the Northwest urban area to serve as a gateway connecting with neighbouring southern provinces of Bình Dương and Tây Ninh, and Cambodia.

The city is zoning its inland waterway infrastructure system in order to contribute to socio-economic development and reduce the load on road traffic.

It has a plan of a synchronous transport infrastructure system, meeting the demand for convenient and smooth traffic connections between satellite urban areas.

It focuses on research and planning of a coastal road associated with coastal economic corridors, the N2 road, which is a strategic economic corridor from HCM City's Củ Chi District to the Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, Đồng Tháp and An Giang, the logistics corridor Mộc Bài – HCM City - Cái Mép, and a synchronously-connected transport system with neighbouring provinces. — VNS