Reimagining Ho Chi Minh City by 2050: A smart and inclusive megacity

This article opens a two-part series on the future of smart and sustainable cities in Vietnam. We begin with Ho Chi Minh City – the country's most dynamic and densely populated metropolis – and examine the urgent choices ahead.

Drawing on insights from Professor Trung Nguyen, co-lead of the RMIT Vietnam Asia Pacific Smart and Sustainable Cities Hub, the article explores the city's current progress, its 2050 vision, and the reforms needed to ensure a transformation that is smart, inclusive, and resilient.

A city under pressure: Smart ambitions meet complex realities

"Ho Chi Minh City is not just leading Vietnam's digital urban development," says Professor Trung.

"It's at the very heart of ASEAN's megacity future."

Yet while the city has laid important foundations, it also faces mounting challenges from unchecked urban sprawl and climate-related risks to institutional fragmentation.

The Smart City Development Plan and Vietnam's National Digital Transformation Strategy have guided progress.

Key efforts include the launch of a Smart Urban Operations Centre, a growing digital services network, GIS-based flood monitoring, and Center for Digital Transformation.

Vietnam's digital infrastructure is also improving fast – ranking 19th globally in mobile Internet and 35th in fixed broadband.

Yet implementation remains uneven. Projects like Saigon Sports City and Thu Thiem Eco Smart City showcase promise in green design, affordable housing, inter-agency coordination, and low budget retention, yet they still constrain progress.

According to the 2025 IESE Cities in Motion Index (CIMI), Ho Chi Minh City ranks 132 out of 183 cities globally, with particularly low scores in urban planning (166th), environment (162nd), mobility and transportation (130th).

Despite digital progress, challenges remain in governance, environmental resilience, and citizen engagement.

With over 14 million residents today and 66 percent of its area (based on Ho Chi Minh City's pre-merger boundaries) projected to be at risk of flooding by 2050, the need for inclusive, resilient, and data-driven planning has never been more urgent.

Vision 2050: Compact, data-driven, human-centred

Looking to 2050, Ho Chi Minh City aims to become Vietnam's hub for finance, innovation, and technology – with growing influence across Southeast Asia.

The city has merged with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, forming one of Southeast Asia's most expansive mega-urban regions.

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is set to reshape the city's form. By 2035, 355km of metro lines are planned to connect the heart of the city with surrounding satellite towns.

Inspired by Tokyo and Seoul, the city plans for high-density, walkable zones with distinct functions from finance and logistics to culture and public life.

Technological investment is accelerating. With 5G expansion and AI applications in mobility and public services, the city is gradually moving toward real-time, data-driven governance.

Under Vietnam's national strategy for digital government development (Decision 942/QD-TTg issued by the Prime Minister of Vietnam on 15 June 2021), the country aims to join the top 30 nations in the UN e-government development index by 2030, with Ho Chi Minh City expected to lead this transition through digital service delivery, workforce training, and data-driven public management.

Professor Trung stresses that the future lies not in chasing technology alone, but in building co-created cities that serve both efficiency and equity.

Building the future: Leadership, design, and talent

To realise its vision, Ho Chi Minh City must act decisively over the next decade.

Priorities include expanding the city's bus and metro networks and enhancing airport connectivity, integrating digital platforms across sectors, and nurturing a digitally capable workforce.

Predictive planning tools like AI and open data will be key to improving citywide coordination and responsiveness.

 But infrastructure alone won't suffice. "True transformation requires deep reform in leadership mindset, systems, and institutional design. Short-term solutions may entrench inefficiencies unless grounded in long-term strategy," says Professor Trung.

Inclusion must also be embedded from the start. Drawing inspiration from cities like Barcelona and Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City can pilot co-design approaches that allow communities to shape their own spaces.

Digital platforms like UDI Maps and My Parking should be scaled to reach peripheral neighbourhoods.

While digital skills remain unevenly distributed in Vietnam's labour force, expanding digital literacy is essential.

In many major cities around the world, the private sector plays a crucial role in developing urban transport infrastructure. Ho Chi Minh City should also adopt appropriate public–private partnership (PPP) models to effectively leverage this resource.

To attract and sustain private investment, the city can introduce policy incentives such as urban tech sandboxes, innovation funds, and streamlined regulatory frameworks.

International collaboration – with organisations like JICA or networks such as the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, and global platforms including the Smart Cities Council, the Centre for Urban Transformation (World Economic Forum), and UN-Habitat (United Nations) – can provide vital momentum.

Research institutions like RMIT also play a crucial role. Through digital labs, policy dialogues, and capacity-building, universities can help cities test bold ideas and scale what works.

For Professor Trung, this transformation is about building a larger city and redefining what an Asian megacity can look like. What excites him most is the chance to build a place where everyone can thrive.

"This journey gives us the chance to create a city that's larger in size and deeper in meaning. A place where a factory worker and a tech entrepreneur can live side by side; where public spaces invite connection; and where young people feel they belong – not just in the economy, but in the story of the city itself."