Can Gio - Ho Chi Minh City’s most remote and underdeveloped district - is gradually transforming, fueled by a massive coastal tourism urban development project. Experts say the project not only provides a development breakthrough for HCMC but also opens a strategic maritime gateway for the entire country.

Can Gio holds a vital position along the key waterway from the East Sea into Ho Chi Minh City. In the city’s long-term development strategy, the district is seen as rich in maritime potential, eco-tourism, wind energy, and home to a UNESCO biosphere reserve - all critical elements for sustainable growth aligned with national defense and security.

Despite this potential, Can Gio has long remained in the shadows - isolated and economically disadvantaged compared to the rest of the city.

The vision to develop Can Gio into a resort-style urban hub with eco-tourism and entertainment dates back over 30 years. That vision has now been officially incorporated into Ho Chi Minh City’s 2021-2030 master plan, with a strategic outlook to 2050.

According to Duong Ngoc Hai, Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, Can Gio’s rich natural ecosystem gives it all the necessary conditions to become a new growth pole, balancing ecological preservation with opportunities in tourism, services, logistics, and marine-based industries.

However, realizing this potential requires innovative urban planning models, bold approaches, and responsible, long-term investment strategies.

The Can Gio coastal tourism city project is not just another real estate development - it is envisioned as an international-standard eco-smart resort and service hub, marking a critical step in Ho Chi Minh City’s journey toward becoming a global economic, financial, and tourism center, Hai emphasized.

“Can Gio is now forming a whole new connection, awakening the southern coastline in line with a sea-oriented strategy,” said Associate Professor Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, following the groundbreaking of Vinhomes Green Paradise, a mega sea reclamation project by Vingroup.

According to Thien, the idea of building a coastal urban area in Can Gio is not new. For decades, there have been strategic ambitions to turn Ho Chi Minh City toward the sea, but they had yet to materialize.

Such a direction is vital. As Vietnam’s largest economic engine, HCMC needs a sea-facing vision. Especially now, as the city explores regional integration with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, this maritime development approach is becoming even more essential.

By expanding toward the sea, HCMC gains a powerful synergy of industrial, port, and financial capabilities, enhancing its global connectivity. Thien noted that the coastal tourism city in Can Gio will significantly elevate both the city’s and the nation’s stature and potential.

“We must look to the sea from the land with new eyes,” he said. “The Can Gio project is setting in motion a transformation across the southern coastline.”

He argued that expanding coastal space is key to building a true marine-based economy - not one dependent on small-scale fishing or offshore boats, but on integrated, high-value economic chains.

Beyond its immediate scope, the project’s impact is expected to be far-reaching. Can Gio is poised to become a regional growth driver, propelling the entire area toward modernization, global integration, and innovation, backed by high-tech infrastructure.

Moreover, the project will serve as a magnet for talent, capital, and technology from around the world. As such, it should be recognized not merely as an isolated construction project, but as a strategic national development initiative.

The Can Gio development also benefits from synergy with other major projects currently underway in HCMC, forming a comprehensive growth cluster with extraordinary potential.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Dinh Thien believes the project underscores the leadership role of the private sector in driving economic growth. “In many ways, this is a source of national pride and validates the Party and State’s decision to place trust in the private sector to lead development,” he said.

However, empowering the private sector must go hand-in-hand with granting them the necessary policy frameworks, authority, and development space to realize their full potential.

“I hope the Can Gio project will become a model for a new relationship between the state and businesses, and between enterprises and the wider community,” he added.

Reclaimed coastal developments are not new. Many countries and localities in Vietnam have already implemented similar models. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, there are currently around 80 land reclamation projects in 19 provinces and cities nationwide.

Notable examples include: the Rach Gia coastal urban area (Kien Giang), approved in 1999 with 420 hectares; the Da Phuoc international coastal city (Da Nang) spanning 210 hectares; Ha Long Marina urban area (Quang Ninh) with 287 hectares; and the Do Son Dragon Hill international resort (Hai Phong), covering 480 hectares.

Additionally, Ben Tre province’s 2021-2030 master plan with a vision to 2050 includes the development of 50,000 hectares of reclaimed land as a new growth engine.

Yet, according to Thien, the Can Gio project stands out because it is based on carefully discussed principles and is gradually shaping up to be a new development standard. Two core elements define its uniqueness: its ecological orientation and high-tech foundation. It merges untapped natural advantages with the needs of a modern, smart, and sustainable economy.

Importantly, the project broke ground amid a national push for institutional reform, with the central government offering unprecedented support for HCMC. From Resolution 98 of the National Assembly to a host of major policy initiatives, the city has been granted special mechanisms and policies for rapid development.

The value of the project lies not only in the urban area itself but also in its replicability. “Other localities can learn from this and launch similar models,” Thien concluded.

Tam An