The Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area comprises of Ho Chi Minh City and seven surrounding provinces. Ho Chi Minh City has been growing so fast that cities in neighbouring provinces have been subsumed into Greater Ho Chi Minh City.

The official designated metropolitan area includes all the provinces in the Southeast region and two provinces in the Mekong Delta region. This metropolitan area is not to be confused with the Vietnam Southern Economic Region, which includes HCMC and five provinces.

This map of the regions of Vietnam shows how big the Southeast region is in comparison to the rest of the country.

[Regions of Vietnam via Wikipedia.]

As of 2019 Ho Chi Minh City has a population of about 8.9 million people, and the metropolitan area has over 21 million people. A megacity is considered as a city with a population of over 10 million people. Ho Chi Minh City is on the cusp of becoming a megacity, and the bordering provinces will be integrated into the city.

As part of the Living In Asia Future Cities series, Future Ho Chi Minh City has already been covered. This Future Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area page covers the major projects in every province outside of the 24 districts of Ho Chi Minh City.

Map of Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area

This map shows the capitals of each province (marked with an orange star), and every project mentioned in this article is pinned on the map.

[Map of Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area.]

Provinces of Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area

• Tien Giang.
• Long An.
• Tay Ninh.
• Binh Duong.
• Binh Phuoc.
• Dong Nai.
• Ba Ria–Vung Tau.

Tien Giang Province

Capital: My Tho.

Tien Giang Province is part of the Mekong Delta region, and the capital of My Tho is considered as the gateway city to the Delta region. Tien Giang shares a small rural border at the southwestern corner Ho Chi Minh City, with Tien Giang meeting Can Gio District at the Soai Rap River.

[Tien River at My Tho, the northern branch of the Mekong River.]

If the Saigon-Can Tho railway ever gets built then Tien Giang Province would benefit with a stop at My Tho and several other stations en route to Can Tho.

Projects in Tien Giang

My Thuan 2 Bridge

[Image via bridgeweb.com.]

The My Thuan 2 Bridge will be built 350 metres upstream from the My Thuan Bridge, connecting Tien Giang to Vinh Long Province. This bridge will form part of the North–South expressway that will connect Hanoi to Can Tho. Work began in February 2020 and should be finished by 2023.

Long An Province

Capital: Tan An.

Long An Province forms most of the western boundary of Ho Chi Minh City, bordered by the districts of Chi Chi, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Nha Be, and Can Gio. If it wasn’t for the small Tien Giang border, then Long An would completely bound the western side of Ho Chi Minh City. Long An also has a border with Cambodia, though it’s not the main border crossing.

Even though the Mekong River is in Tien Giang, Long An is part of the Mekong Delta region, thus it has a better claim to being the gateway to the Mekong Delta region.

Projects in Long An

Hiep Phuoc Harbour View

Location: Long An, Vietnam.
Website: hiepphuocharbourview.com.vn.

Hiep Phuoc Harbour View is on the boundary of Long An and Ho Chi Minh City (next to Nha Be District), facing Nha Be River.

WaterPoint Long An

Location: DT824, An Thanh, Ben Luc, Long An, Vietnam.
Website: waterpoint.com.vn.

WaterPoint Long An is an urban development set in a bend of the Vam Co Dong River.

Further reading: The Waterpoint a focal point in satellite township

Tay Ninh Province

Capital: Tay Ninh.

Tay Ninh Province is to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, wedged between the Cambodian border and Cu Chi District. The capital of Tay Ninh is famous for the Cao Dai religion, with the Holy See temple being the landmark of the city.

Tay Ninh is one of five provinces around HCMC that is in the Southern Key Economic Zone (SKEZ). The Moc Bai-Bavet border crossing is the biggest land border between Vietnam and Cambodia, and there are industrial zones near the border to capitalise on being the midway point between Phnom Penh and Saigon.

News and links

HCM City, Tay Ninh to jointly construct the VND10.7 trillion HCMC-Moc Bai expy – [30/10/19]

Moc Bai Border Gate Economic Zone – [04/02/14]
“Located at a favourable position on the Trans-Asia Road, Moc Bai Border Gate Economic Zone in Tay Ninh Province is expected to become an international trade centre, promoting cooperation and development between Vietnam and Cambodia and Vietnam and other ASEAN countries.”

Bình Duong Province

Capital:Thu Dau Mot.

Bình Duong Province is to the north of Ho Chi Minh City, bordered by Cu Chi, Hoc Mon, District 12, Thu Duc, and District 9.

Binh Duong is one of the manufacturing powerhouses of Vietnam, with international factories set up here including Adidas, Nika, and H&M.

The southern end of Binh Duong has long since been eaten up by the urban sprawl of HCMC, with Di An being indistinguishable from its southern neighbour.

There are plans to extend the future HCMC Metro into Binh Duong, and Di An would be a junction station for a future outer circular railway.

Projects in Binh Duong

World Trade Center Binh Duong New City

Location: Thu Dau Mot, Binh Duong, Vietnam.
Developer: Becamex.

World Trade Center Binh Duong New City is in the new urban area of Thu Dau Mot. The plan includes provision for an extension of the Line 1 HCMC Metro, which has been considered but not officially proposed. This was included on my HCMC Metro concept map. It’s a fair distance from the current terminus, so it might be better to build another line. I will be covering that in an article about a Greater HCMC railway.

Further reading:
How Vietnam’s Binh Duong became an example of smart city development – [29/11/19]
World Trade Centre Binh Duong New City to be built – [25/11/19]

Astral City

Location: Quoc Lo 13, Binh Duong, Vietnam.
Website: astral.vn.

Green Square

Location: 101 QL1A, 2 Quoc lo 1K, Dong Hoa, Di An, Binh Duong, Vietnam.
Facebook: Green Square Dĩ An – TBS Land.

Phuc An Garden

Location: 101 QL1A, 2 Quoc lo 1K, Dong Hoa, Di An, Binh Duong, Vietnam.
Developer: Tran Anh Group.

Binh Duong Urban Railway

7 railway lines have been proposed (6 overhead lines and 1 ground line) and 3 lines will connect to lines of the HCMC Metro.

Read more about the Binh Duong Urban Railway.

Binh Phuoc Province

Capital: Dong Xoai.

Binh Phuoc is on the border of Cambodia, and it’s the gateway province to the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. Binh Phuoc is the only province among this list that doesn’t share a boundary with Ho Chi Minh City.

In the past there was a railway that went from Saigon to Loc Ninh on the Cambodia border. This was known as the Rubber Line, and over the years there has been plans that would route a new Vietnam-Cambodia railway here.

There is another railway plan for the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) route, which would also go via Binh Phuoc Province. This is mentioned as being part of a master plan beyond 2050.

Binh Phuoc is mostly agricultural, though cheaper land prices have attracted more manufacturers to the province.

Projects in Binh Phuoc

Becamex – Binh Phuoc Industrial Park is located in Chon Thanh district, Binh Phuoc Province with a total area of 4,600 hectares; 2,400 hectares is for industrial land and 2,200 hectares is for service and urban land. Becamex – Binh Phuoc Industrial Park has a very strategic position, located right on National Highway 14 which is an important trade route between the Southeast and Central Highlands.”

Riverside Binh Phuoc is located in the central area within the Becamex complex, located in Minh Thanh commune, Chon Thanh district, Binh Phuoc Province. Owning the position of the National Highway 14 frontage convenient for transporting goods, moving to many areas as well as quick access to a diverse range of external utilities.

Binh Phuoc news and links

PM gives green light to new industrial park in Binh Phuoc – [10/06/20]
“Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a decision on the construction and operation of the Ledana Industrial Park in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.”
This park is located near the Hoa Lu border gate at the Loc Ninh-Snoul Vietnam-Cambodia border crossing.

Plan to develop Binh Phuoc into industrialized province by 2030 – [28/04/20]
“Binh Phuoc is set to become an industrialized province by 2030 with GDRP among the top 15 localities in Vietnam.”

[Becamex Binh Phuoc Industrial Park in Binh Phuoc Province.]

RoK firms seek investment opportunities in Binh Phuoc – [01/02/18]
“A delegation from the Republic of Korea (RoK) led by Cho Moon Soo, President of Hank Cuk Carbon Group, met with leaders of the southern province of Binh Phuoc to seek investment opportunities in the locality.”

Dong Nai Province

Capital: Bien Hoa.

Dong Nai Province is to the east and northeast of Ho Chi Minh City separated by the Dong Nai River. It shares a boundary with District 2, District 7, District 9, and Nha Be District. Along with Binh Duong, Dong Nai Province is one of the manufacturing giants of Vietnam.

There are many new urban developments planned for the province, especially along the scenic Dong Nai River. Development has also been spurred by the planned new mega airport at Long Thanh, which will be the second airport for Ho Chi Minh City.

Projects in Dong Nai

Long Thanh International Airport

Location: Long Thanh District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.

The new airport for Ho Chi Minh City is years behind schedule, and at this point land is still being cleared for the project. A full report can be found at the Long Thanh International Airport page.

Swan Park

Location: Nhon Trach District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
Developer: SwanCity Singapore.

The Swan Park new city is between District 2 and the new airport, and this location has been marketed as “East Saigon”. The main image shows a metro line passing through the city (possibly the new airport train), though there is no official route yet.

Swan Bay

Location: Dai Phuoc Island, Nhon Trach District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
Developer: SwanCity Singapore.

Not far from Swan Park is Swan Bay, located on an island in the Dong Nai river. This is being promoted as the “pearl of the East Saigon”.

Waterfront City

Location: Long Thanh District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.

Waterfront City is a new urban development on the Dong Nai river, opposite District 9 of Ho Chi Minh City. In 2019 Nam Long acquired a 70 per cent stake of Waterfront City from Singapore’s Keppel Corporation.

Aqua City

Location: Long Thanh District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
Website: aquacity.com.vn.

Next to Waterfront City is the Aqua City project from Novaland.

Gem Sky World

Location: Long Thanh District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
Website: gemskyworld.vn.

Gem Sky World is a new housing development not far from the airport site.

Century City

Location: Long Thanh District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
Website: centurycity.vn.

King Bay

Location: Nhon Trach District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
Website: kingbay.vn.

King Bay is on the Dong Nai riverfront facing District 9 of HCMC. It’s not clear if this is part of another project called manhattanisland.vn, or if it has been rebranded.

Paradise Riverside

Location: Long Thanh District, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
Investor: Phuoc Tan Construction and Trading Joint Stock Company.
Distribution: Kim Oanh Real.

Dong Nai news and links

South Korean group proposes $150 million technopark in Dong Nai – [12/05/20]

Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province

Capital: Ba Ria.

Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province is to the southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, sharing a border with Can Gio District. Vung Tau is the main city, though it’s no longer the capital.

Vung Tau is considered as “the beach of Saigon”, being the closest beach to the city. The city is also the offshore gas and oil hub of Vietnam, making it one of the most prosperous provinces in Vietnam.

[Vung Tau Beach.]

Further up the coast from Vung Tau is Ho Tram, where there are international resorts and a casino.

Projects in Ba Ria–Vung Tau

Most projects of note are happening in Vung Tau, and they are listed on the Future Vung Tau page.