A view of HCM City. HCM City plans to merge three districts, 2, 9 and Thủ Đức, to form a creative hub in its east. — Photo tripsavvy.com

HCM CITY — HCM City wants to merge three districts, 2, 9 and Thủ Đức, and carve out a creative city as part of efforts to foster the development of its eastern part. 

Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of the city People’s Committee, said the establishment of the eastern city is based on the idea of ​​building a hi-tech and smart urban development zone. 

It is expected to spread over more than 211sq.km and be home to more than 1.1 million people ​​. 

The act would make HCM City the first locality in the country to have a city under the management of a city.

The city People’s Committee has asked the Ministry of Construction for guidance to carry out the merger and its Department of Home Affairs has sought the Ministry of Home Affairs’ assistance.

The 48sq.km Thủ Đức has a high concentration of educational institutions and research centres and four large universities with more than 10,000 lecturers and professors and 100,000 students. 

The 50sq.km District 2 with the Thủ Thiêm new urban area will provide infrastructure and international exhibition and financial centres for the new urban area and in fact the city as a whole.

The 114sq.km District 9 with the Saigon Hi-Tech Park would be a hub for research and incubating innovative technologies, experts said.

The eastern part also has convenient and modern infrastructure, including the metro line No 1 from Bến Thành in District 1 to Suối Tiên in District 9, the expressway from HCM City to Đồng Nai Province and Cát Lái Port, the largest in Việt Nam.

The city is now carrying out a project to become a smart urban area, under which the eastern area will be developed into an innovation hub based on a digital, knowledge-based economy.

HCM City contributes 23 per cent of national GDP, 30 per cent of Government revenues, 16 per cent of industrial output, and 15 per cent of exports. — VNS