HCM City's Cát Lái Port one of the biggest and most modern container terminals in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City has achieved its “dual goal” of containing the Covid-19 pandemic and reviving the economy, the chairman of its People’s Committee, told a meeting on Saturday.

Speaking at a meeting held to discuss the city’s socio-economic development plans for 2021, Nguyễn Thành Phong said the city was able to contain the virus while achieving economic growth of 1.39 per cent, and all sectors managed to achieve growth.

Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, its revenues topped VNĐ371.3 trillion (US$16.1 billion) or 91.51 per cent of the target, he said. 

Exports were worth more than $43 billion, foreign investment exceeded $4.3 billion and remittances were worth more than $5.5 billion. 

More than 40,000 new businesses were established with a total registered capital of more than VNĐ1.1 million billion.

Some 8,300 resumed operations after suspending business due to the pandemic.

The city has been able to quickly bring the recent local transmission of Covid-19 under control. 

Only eight people are currently being treated, and there has been no death in the city, Phong said.

He attributed the excellent results to “the concerted efforts made by the Government, public and businesses.” 

2021 targets 

Phong said the city would try to achieve all socio-economic targets set for this year.

It would continue to build an urban government and improve its investment environment, he said.

It would focus on speeding up digital transformation, build a smart city, and speed up administrative reform, he said.

It has set an economic growth target for 2021 of at least 6 per cent, with the services sector accounting for 60 per cent of the economy.

The per capita income target is $6,500.

The city is set to create 140,000 jobs this year, taking the urban unemployment rate to below 4 per cent, Phong said.

It also set other targets such as a fertility rate of at least 1.39 children, land used for transport being 12.76 per cent of urban land, among others.

The average housing area per capita will be 21.04sq.m, and the urban greenery rate will be at least 0.55sq.m.

However, Phong admitted that the targets would be hard to achieve since the pandemic remains a threat in most parts of the world with the new variants in the UK and South Africa believed to be much more infectious. — VNS