HCM City currently has 4,475 fishing vessels, all of which have been registered and updated on the VNFishbase system. Among them, 4,268 vessels, or 95.37%, have been granted fishing licences, while 207 unqualified vessels are being strictly managed and kept ashore.
The Vietnam International Bakery Show 2025 (VIBS 2025) serves as a key trade promotion platform for the bakery industry in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Ho Chi Minh City has readied necessary infrastructure, personnel, and investors for the operation of its International Financial Centre (IFC), slated to be inaugurated on December 19, Dr. Truong Minh Huy Vu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), has said.
By 2030, HCM City targets completion of three key routes: Metro Line 2’s Tham Luong–Ben Thanh and Ben Thanh–Thu Thiem sections, plus the Thu Thiem–Long Thanh urban railway.
The city’s total GRDP value for 2025 is estimated at 2.74 quadrillion VND (103.93 billion USD), accounting for 23.5% of national GDP. GRDP per capita is projected to reach 8,066 USD. Foreign direct investment inflows are expected to total 8.16 billion USD, representing a 21.1% increase year-on-year.
The Vietnam International Baby Products and Toys Expo (IBTE) 2025 will take place from December 18-20 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc revealed that nearly 30 international financial heavyweights are preparing to set up operations as early as December 2025, signalling strong early investor confidence in the city’s financial centre ambitions.
The event offers a panoramic view of modern consumer trends, technology, and design through dedicated zones for food and smart consumer goods, as well as household electrical and electronic appliances.
The 2025 Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Global Summit opened on December 3 in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing together more than 600 urban leaders, technology experts and international investors.
With its extensive activities, the IGHE 2025 is expected to deliver strong business prospects and deepen industry-wide connections.
Municipal leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to cutting red tape and shortening processing times. The city recently issued a decision reducing timelines for eight administrative procedures in the investment sector, including shortening the issuance of investment registration certificates from 10 to 8 days and cutting procedures for capital contributions and share acquisitions from 15 to 8 days.
HCM City remains Vietnam’s start-up hub, hosting more than 2,000 start-ups — over half the national total — with an ecosystem valued at 5.22 billion USD. The city ranks fifth in Southeast Asia and is close to entering the world’s top 100 most dynamic start-up ecosystems.
Investing in renewable energy will help Vietnam achieve its clean energy goal, reduce CO2 emissions, improve air quality, and boost the economy.
Unlike existing IFCs in the region such as Hong Kong (China) or Singapore, which were built upon traditional commercial hubs, HCM City is emerging amid a restructuring of global supply chains. This creates opportunities for Vietnam to become an important link in the new value chain.
On Vietnam’s twin priorities of digital transformation and green transition, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that success hinges on turning awareness into concrete, feasible, and effective actions. He called for converting policy mechanisms into competitive advantages, building green and digital infrastructure, developing skilled workforce and smart governance, and above all pooling massive financial resources.
The two sides agreed to cooperate on a tailored basis to advance smart manufacturing and responsible industrial transformation in HCM City, contributing to the global rollout of the Lighthouse OS platform.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, municipal leaders, representatives of ministries, and international investment funds attended and witnessed the signing ceremony, which was held on the sidelines of the Autumn Economic Forum 2025.
PM Pham Minh 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.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc on November 25 held separate receptions for Stephan Mergenthaler, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), and Yang Peng, CEO of the Singapore-based digital payments & fintech group Ant International, on the sidelines of the southern metropolis’ ongoing Autumn Economic Forum 2025.
Vietnam is ready to share experience and technology, and support Laos in building its national digital data platforms, and to cooperate at regional and international forums, particularly in cybersecurity.
Ho Chi Minh City is rolling out a series of measures aimed at completing three key metro lines before 2030, an official said at a press briefing on economic and social developments on November 20.
As of November 18, all qualified vessels in the city had been granted fishing permits, while 236 unqualified boats have had their registrations revoked.
HCM City plans to break ground on Metro Line 2 in January 2026 after securing new fast-track approvals for the project. The 11-km line is expected to take nearly five years to build and enter service around 2030.
HCM City’s key European trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching nearly 450 million USD in the first half of 2025. Italy ranks 24th among the 129 countries and territories investing in the city, with total registered capital of nearly 135 million USD.
Administrative reform remains HCM City’s top priority. The city aims to cut at least 30% of procedures, reduce processing times and costs, and shift from a “management mindset” to a “service mindset” to better support the business community.