Prime Minister requests acceleration of key infrastructure projects in southeastern Vietnam 

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered relevant ministries, sectors and localities to speed up major infrastructure projects to spur socio-economic development in Vietnam’s southeastern region.

Chairing the fourth meeting of the Coordinating Council for the Southeastern Region in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday, PM Chinh, who is also chairman of the council, said the recent socio-economic development results continue to reflect the region’s important role as an economic locomotive for the country and a pioneer in reform, creativity, dynamism, and development.

All the six localities, namely HCMC and the provinces of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh, have completed the drafting of their master plans for verification. Five of the six master plans have been approved by the PM.

Recognizing the region’s contributions to national socio-economic development, the PM pointed out that it still faces certain shortcomings, difficulties, and challenges.

Given this, he asked ministries, sectors, and the localities to invest efforts in keeping macro-economic stability, promoting growth, curbing inflation, ensuring major economic balances, and controlling public debts, government debts, and budget overspending.

In particular, HCMC needs to quickly complete its master plan for government approval, he stated.

PM Chinh asked them to review legal bottlenecks to propose amendments, especially those in the Public Investment Law, speed up public investment disbursement, use public investment to attract private investment, and mobilize every resource for development investment.

“It is important to foster the three traditional growth drivers of investment, export, and consumption, along with the new ones, including digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, sharing economy, semiconductors, hydrogen and artificial intelligence,” he stresed.

He requested close coordination among ministries, sectors, and localities to tackle difficulties and facilitate development. Notably, they need to promote public investment disbursement, the effective application of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the training of high-quality human resources.

To ensure the effective implementation of the Regional Master Plan, which was approved by the PM in May this year, and maximize the region’s potential and advantages, he demanded them fulfill the assigned tasks with the highest quality and quickly complete studies for regional and inter-regional projects, including the ones on an international financial center in HCMC, a free trade center in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, the North-South Expressway section through the region, and linking roads.

HCMC, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc need to urgently complete the next procedures to kick off construction on the HCMC-Moc Bai, Chon Thanh-Gia Nghia, HCMC-Thu Dau Mot-Chon Thanh Expressways on the occasion of April 30, 2025 (the Reunification Day), he noted.

During his working trip, PM Chinh toured the construction site of the Long Thanh International Airport that connects Dong Nai and HCMC and several key transport projects in the region.

In the first seven months of 2024, the southeastern region recorded fair growth but still fell short of expectations for it as a key and leading economic region of the whole country.

Its economic growth stood at 5.58% during the period, lower than the national average and only higher than that of the Central Highlands, the council reported.

Meanwhile, the region’s state budget revenue topped VND391 trillion (nearly $15.6 billion), accounting for 38.1% of the country’s total figure and ranking second after the Red River Delta in the north.

Exports totaled $59.2 billion, equivalent to 31% of the country's total overseas shipments and second to the Red River Delta.

Among the six economic regions, the southeastern region saw the largest number of companies established and resuming operations between January-July, 58,246 – up 9.8%, statistics show.

As of July 20, the region continued to lead the country in both the number of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects and disbursement value, with 20,000 projects and $187.4 billion.