HCM City (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called on international friends to cooperate with, support, and stand side by side with Vietnam and its Ho Chi Minh City on the development path.
He made the appeal while addressing CEO 500 - TEA CONNECT, a programme connecting Vietnamese and HCM City leaders with executives of large local and foreign enterprises on November 25. The event, part of the Autumn Economic Forum 2025, looked to explore ways to help HCM City establish itself as an international megacity in the near future.
Participants were updated on HCM City’s development strategy for 2026–2030, with a vision to 2045, as well as its key projects. They also discussed cooperation initiatives aimed at turning the southern metropolis into an international mega city in the digital era.
In his remarks, PM Chinh appreciated the practical, responsible, and enthusiastic contributions from international partners, along with domestic and international businesses, saying their opinions are a source of inspiration for Vietnam on its journey to realise the two centenary goals.
Underlining Vietnam’s development priorities and achievements over the past decades, he noted that after nearly 40 years of Doi moi (Renewal), Vietnam now has diplomatic relations with 194 countries, comprehensive strategic partnerships with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and many G20 countries, and 17 free trade agreements with over 60 nations.
From a poor and war-torn country, Vietnam has emerged as a developing one with GDP of about 510 billion USD, ranking 32nd globally; per capita income of some 5,000 USD, placing it among upper-middle-income nations; along with foreign trade and investment attraction among the 20 largest around the world.
The Government leader thanked international friends for their support and cooperation, which have helped Vietnam obtain such achievements, stressing the spirit of “solidarity for gathering power, cooperation for gaining mutual benefits, and dialogue for enhancing trust”.
Highlighting the five development pillars of HCM City, he said that to promote these pillars, the city requires capital, infrastructure development, institutional perfection towards openness and competitiveness, high-quality human resources, and smart governance.
Given this, he asked for cooperation and support from international friends during the development process of HCM City and Vietnam as a whole.
The PM expressed his confidence that as a growth nucleus and powerhouse of the region, a civilised, modern, dynamic, and creative city, as well as an economic, financial, trade, sci-tech, and innovation hub of the entire country, HCM City will make development breakthroughs to become comparable with other big cities around the world.
The development tasks and requirements for the city in the coming time are greatly heavy but also critically important and glorious, he noted, saying he believes that it will build on the obtained results, unlock resources, and explore potential to accelerate, make breakthroughs, and develop unceasingly, thus turning itself into a dynamic and prosperous international megacity and a source of pride for Vietnam in the new era./.
