The central government has approved reducing the number of provincial-level administrative units to 34. Among the planned mergers is the unification of Can Tho City, Soc Trang Province, and Hau Giang Province. The new name is expected to remain “Can Tho City,” with its political and administrative center located in the current Can Tho City.

This will become one of six centrally governed cities after the national administrative reorganization.

Recently, Truong Canh Tuyen, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Can Tho City, signed a formal letter sent to the People’s Committees of Soc Trang and Hau Giang regarding voter outreach and opinion gathering for the draft proposal to reorganize and merge provincial-level administrative units. The localities are required to submit their completed documentation to the Can Tho People’s Committee by April 20.

All three localities are situated in the Mekong Delta region and are known for their strengths in agriculture and service development. Following the merger, Can Tho will become a regional ‘super city.’

According to preliminary data from the General Statistics Office, in 2023, the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices of Can Tho City reached 119.377 trillion VND (approximately 4.73 billion USD), nearly equivalent to the combined GRDP of Soc Trang (72.472 trillion VND or about 2.87 billion USD) and Hau Giang (59.809 trillion VND or roughly 2.37 billion USD).

There are notable differences in GRDP structure among the three. In Can Tho, services dominate with 52.62% of GRDP. In Soc Trang, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries account for 41.63%, while services make up 38.78%.

In Hau Giang, the GRDP structure is more balanced: industry and construction comprise 38.02%, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries 21.54%, and services 33.16%.

Regarding domestic budget revenue, preliminary statistics for 2023 show that Can Tho leads with 10.843 trillion VND (approximately 429.7 million USD), surpassing the combined budget revenue of Soc Trang (4.864 trillion VND or about 192.7 million USD) and Hau Giang (5.524 trillion VND or around 219.2 million USD).

In terms of per capita GRDP, preliminary 2023 data shows Can Tho reached 94.8 million VND per person (about 3,750 USD), Hau Giang 82.1 million VND (around 3,250 USD), and Soc Trang the lowest at 60.5 million VND (approximately 2,390 USD).

However, all three provinces remain below the national average of 102.9 million VND per person (roughly 4,070 USD).

Foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction in these Mekong Delta provinces remains modest.

In 2023, Can Tho had three approved projects with a total registered FDI of 64 million USD and implemented capital of 103.8 million USD. Soc Trang had one project with a registered capital of 90.8 million USD but implemented capital of only 0.6 million USD.

Similarly, Hau Giang had one licensed project with a registered FDI of 23.6 million USD but no implemented capital.

Regarding merchandise exports, Can Tho and Soc Trang recorded similar figures in 2023, at 1.585 billion USD and 1.507 billion USD respectively, while Hau Giang reached only 606 million USD.

Compared to 2022, export turnover in 2023 dropped 7.6% in Can Tho, 13% in Hau Giang, and 0.6% in Soc Trang.

Tam An