HCMC - The HCMC People’s Committee has approved the conversion of approximately 2,400 hectares of farmland in the outlying Can Gio District into non-agricultural land in the 2021-2030 period.

Communes undergoing the land use conversion include Binh Khanh (637 hectares), Ly Nhon (480 hectares), An Thoi Dong (422 hectares), Long Hoa (338 hectares), Tam Thon Hiep (217 hectares), Thanh An (192 hectares), and Can Thanh Town (149 hectares). Around 45% of the agricultural land slated for conversion is aquaculture land, followed by land of perennial trees, salt production, and protective forests. Currently, Can Gio District encompasses 46,875 hectares of agricultural land, 22,540 hectares of non-agricultural land, and 1,029 hectares of unused land. The HCMC People’s Committee has also permitted Can Gio to change the land purpose for over 1,139 hectares of agricultural land. This restructuring involves transitioning from rice-growing land to cultivating perennial crops or for aquaculture. Can Gio is allowed to convert only 0.27 hectare of non-agricultural land, not designated for residential use, in Can Thanh and Binh Khanh communes into residential land between 2021 and 2030. Spanning 71,300 hectares, Can Gio has a population of more than 70,000 and is around 50 kilometers from the center of HCMC. The local authority has developed plans to tap Can Gio’s tourism potential and establish a regional and international-scale tourist urban area within the district.