Bùi Minh Thạnh, deputy chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, tells a conference on January 15 that the Northern HCM City Science and Technology Urban Area is expected to attract high-quality FDI and drive innovation in the digital era. — Photo kinhtedothi.vn

HCM CITY — The Northern HCM City Science and Technology Urban Area project is expected to become an innovation cradle for the region’s high-tech industries, enhancing Việt Nam’s global standing, officials said at the project’s announcement conference on January 15.

The project hopes to attract high-quality foreign direct investment, develop a workforce ready for Industry 4.0 and promote green growth.

According to Nguyễn Hoàn Vũ, CEO of Becamex, the project investor, the Northern HCM City Science and Technology Urban Area is planned as an integrated ecosystem built on existing infrastructure that will continue to be upgraded.

Key components include an ecological science park, a science centre and a multi-functional science and technology building converted from the former Bình Dương Administrative Centre.

The area will also feature a cultural and commercial complex linked to a metro station and the WTC Expo International Exhibition Centre.

Under the city’s new development plan, central HCM City will be repositioned as an international financial hub, leading regional resource allocation and driving research and technology commercialisation in line with international standards.

Building on this foundation, the Northern HCM City Science and Technology Urban Area will serve as a core centre for research and development and high-tech manufacturing, acting as a strategic complement to the city’s financial hub.

This synergy is expected to help create a more balanced economic structure and strengthen the city’s long-term global competitiveness.

According to Bùi Minh Thạnh, deputy chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, the project leverages special mechanisms granted by the Government, allowing the city to adopt flexible and breakthrough approaches that meet international standards.

He highlighted the project’s strategic location, noting that the city’s northern gateway functions as a logistics hub and a clean energy centre for both the city and the wider Southeast region.

With a robust network of international ports, airports and interregional transport links, the northern gateway is set to emerge as a pioneering centre for technology and innovation.

Thạnh also stressed that the development would not only position the area as a scientific and technological leader but also help ease urban congestion, supporting the transition towards a sustainable, multi-polar megacity.

The city was committed to supporting domestic and international investors, research institutes and organisations throughout the project’s implementation.

The city would also ensure a favourable environment by simplifying administrative procedures and allowing the testing of new technologies within a controlled framework. — VNS