Ho Chi Minh City Approves 2025–2050 Master Plan: What Investors Should Know

Ho Chi Minh City has approved its first master plan since the 2025 merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau. The plan identifies five growth areas for finance, innovation, industry, port logistics, and urban services. For businesses weighing an expansion, it offers a starting point for comparing locations and identifying the infrastructure projects that could affect them.

Ho Chi Minh City approved its 2025–2050 Master Plan on 31 October 2026 under Decision No. 7308/QĐ-UBND. The plan is the city’s first since its merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau and projects a population of more than 27 million by 2050. It sets out five growth areas: international financial services in the central core, innovation in the east, industry and logistics in the north, seaports and free trade in the south, and urban development, education, and healthcare in the west. For foreign investors, these priorities can help narrow the search for factory, warehouse, and office locations before checking local zoning, utility capacity, and transport project timelines.

On 10 November, the committee issued Plan No. 622/KH-UBND for the public release of the plan. The city is provisionally scheduled to hold its launch conference on 16 November and plans to make releasable maps, drawings, and planning management regulations publicly available.

What does Ho Chi Minh City’s 2025–2050 Master Plan cover?

The plan covers all of Ho Chi Minh City following its 2025 merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau. The expanded city spans about 6,773 square kilometres and includes 168 local administrative units, among them the Con Dao special zone.

Ho Chi Minh City’s population is expected to reach about 18 million by 2030, 25 million by 2045 and more than 27 million by 2050. Over the same period, the master plan prioritises higher productivity, greater use of technology, innovation, and the growth of higher-value services.

Four core pillars have been identified for the 2026-2030 period, namely, breakthrough technology, innovation, strategic infrastructure, and urban services.

Where will Ho Chi Minh City focus development under its 2025–2050 Master Plan?

Ho Chi Minh City’s 2025–2050 Master Plan identifies five growth zones. The central core will focus on international financial services, the east on technology and innovation, and the north on manufacturing and logistics. The south will focus on seaports, free trade, international logistics, and energy, while the west will prioritise urban development, education, and healthcare.

Five satellite centres will support these zones and help spread jobs, housing, and services across the expanded city. They are Con Dao, Long Hai–Ho Tram, Hoc Mon–Cu Chi, Bau Bang, and Tan Uyen–Bac Tan Uyen.

The proposal also identifies 10 development management zones to guide population distribution and where the city allocates housing, jobs, and infrastructure. They are the eastern innovation zone; the western and southwestern gateway; the Binh Duong industrial and service urban zone; an ecological and future development reserve; the Nha Be–Hiep Phuoc port urban zone; the Can Gio coastal ecological zone; the Cai Mep–Thi Vai seaport, logistics and energy cluster; the Vung Tau–Long Hai–Ho Tram coastal tourism zone; and the Con Dao special administrative zone.

Finally, the Saigon and Dong Nai rivers and Can Gio have been marked as areas to protect as the city develops.

How could Ho Chi Minh City’s transport plans affect site selection?

Ho Chi Minh City’s 2025–2050 Master Plan identifies Metro Lines 1 and 2 and Ring Roads 3 and 4 as key corridors linking the city centre to emerging growth areas. It also prioritises transit-oriented development, with housing, shops, offices and public amenities clustered around stations and major transport hubs.

For manufacturers, a factory in the northern industrial zone may offer better access to suppliers and skilled workers, while a warehouse in the southern port zone may reduce trucking distances for exports. Companies should compare freight costs on roads already in use and test how delays to new connections would affect those costs. Office and mixed-use developers should check when nearby stations are expected to open and whether local zoning permits the proposed development.

What should investors verify before committing capital in Ho Chi Minh City?

Investors can use the 2025–2050 Master Plan’s maps and planning rules to shortlist sites. Before signing a lease or committing development capital, confirm the permitted use of the specific parcel, which zoning rules apply, and whether utilities and access roads can support the proposed operation.

If the site depends on a new road or other infrastructure, check whether funding is in place, how far land clearance has progressed, and whether the infrastructure is due to open before operations begin. Businesses considering a free trade zone in the south should confirm its boundaries, operating rules, and eligibility requirements.

Existing operators should check whether planned transport corridors or zoning changes could affect an expansion at their current site. New entrants can use the five growth zones to narrow their search, then compare shortlisted sites on operating costs, access to labour and suppliers, and the infrastructure expected to be in service by their opening date.