Speakers at a seminar organised by HCM City University of Law discuss the legal basis for the establishment of the proposed Thủ Đức City. VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

HCM CITY — HCM City must ensure transparent governance before establishing a “new city within a city” from the proposed merger of three city districts, experts said on Wednesday at a seminar in the city.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the same day passed a resolution to establish new Thủ Đức City, which would include three existing districts.

At the seminar organised by the HCM City University of Law, Dr Vũ Văn Nhiêm, chairman of the university, said the establishment of the tentatively named Thủ Đức City must make clear what benefits it would bring to residents, enterprises and the city and central governments. 

“The new Thủ Đức administration must be simple and efficient,” he said.

Although an urban administrative model is common in megacities around the world, there is “no legal basis” for it in Việt Nam.

HCM City is the first centrally-run city in the country to implement an urban administrative model to bring into practice the “city within a city” model. 

Because the new city would be equivalent to a district-level unit under the current law, HCM City must ask the Government and the National Assembly to allow higher autonomy for “the new city”, he said.

Dr Đỗ Minh Khôi, head of the university’s Faculty of Law and State Administration’s Department of State and Law Theory, said the proposal to establish Thủ Đức City was “unprecedented” in the country and would require “extensive study”.

The establishment of the city would require amendments in urban planning and construction laws, he added.

HCM City is faced with problems related to pollution, traffic congestion, and lack of affordable housing, among others. The city must resolve these problems and ensure transparent governance, he said.

Lê Minh Đức, deputy head of the Legal Department of the HCM City People’s Council, said the new city could face challenges such as social crimes and insecurity and other problems related to administrative papers for citizens. Land speculation causing a surge in land prices and illegal construction would also be critical issues.

He pointed out that the city’s current resources were still insufficient to build the “innovation district” in the city’s eastern part. “An appropriate roadmap is needed to ensure the establishment of this new city.” 

Huỳnh Khắc Điệp, chief of the HCM City Party Committee Office, said the People’s Committee is writing a draft proposal on enhancing the power of the new city government and creating better conditions for it to develop strongly.

Lawmakers last month approved a resolution to eliminate People’s Councils at district and ward levels in the city. The newly passed resolution stipulates that administrative organisation at the municipal level would comprise a People’s Committee and People’s Council. However, there would only be People’s Committees at the district and ward levels.

The organisation of other administrative units in the city is subject to the Law on Local Government Organisation.

The resolution takes effect next year and the implementation of new urban administrative models in HCM City will begin from July 2021.

The eastern districts of 2, 9, and Thủ Đức would be merged into one administrative unit.

To build the new city, HCM City authorities need to seek advice from foreign experts and investors, including technology, finance and real estate companies, experts have said. 

The city should study the experiences of major cities in other countries, including the Pudong area in Shanghai (China) and Gangnam in Seoul (South Korea), and propose policies for a creative ecosystem and improved competitiveness, they said. 

The city government has established a steering committee led by Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of the city People’s Committee, which will develop a master plan for the development of the new city.

The master plan includes strategies for a knowledge-based economy that promotes a highly skilled workforce.

The committee plans to develop a centralised urban database with data about land use, transportation, canals and other works in the three districts.

Experts have said the new Thủ Đức City should be designed to attract more investment while promoting globalisation and maintaining local culture, appealing to a talented workforce from around the world. 

Thủ Đức City would be spread over 211sq.km and be home to more than one million people. — VNS