HCM City may be re-organised into one central area that has 13 districts in the inner city as well as four satellite cities and rural areas.
HCM City needs a more suitable management mechanism
Municipal authorities are seeking approval from the government for a plan to pilot a new urban administration model that includes only two levels: under the direct management of the central government and local government, instead of the current inefficient three-level system.
The metropolis now has a population of around eight million people. The figure reaches up to 10 million when taking into account non-resident people, making it one of the 40 most populous cities in the world.
Despite being a big city, over 70% of HCM City’s acreage is rural; therefore, the current municipal government actually manages a major urbanised area plus a large rural area that is undergoing rapid urbanisation, resulting in inefficient management.
In order to improve management efficiency, local authorities have proposed re-organising the city into one central area with 13 old districts in the inner city.
Part of its suburban area would be developed into four satellite cities that are built based on the re-arrangement of six new urban areas as well as Hoc Mon District and some urbanised communes in Binh Chanh District.
The rest would be areas for three townships and 35 communes.
The central area would be managed by a sole administration that is under the direct management of the central government.
Administrative committees would be set up in districts and wards, which would act as an “extended hand” of the municipal government instead of a local government, which is the current system.
Four satellite cities would be formed outside the city and named East, West, South and North cities.
The East City would encompass Districts 2 and 9 and Thu Duc District, while the South City would include District 7, Nha Be District, a part of District 8’s Ward 7, as well as Binh Hung and Phong Phu Communes of Binh Chanh District.
The West City would encompass Binh Tan District, a part of Wards 7 and 16 of District 8, as well as four communes in Binh Chanh District. The North City includes only District 12 and Hoc Mon District.
There is one government in each satellite city. The administration in three townships and 35 communes would be the same as in those satellite cities, including people’s councils and people’s committees.
HCM City People’s Committee said that the current three-level administration is ineffective and too cumbersome.
“HCM City is a special city that needs greater effort to work out a better government apparatus and more efficient management mechanism. The proposed two-level government is expected to significantly improve management efficiency,” they noted.