Theywill need to solicit investment to develop new urban areas, industrial parks,tourist areas, and commercial zones.
CanGio with its mangrove eco-system and world biosphere reserve status willdevelop urban eco-tourism.
CuChi will develop smart eco-urban areas, riverside eco-tourism and high-techcentres while also continuing to sustain agriculture.
HocMon will develop trade, services, hi-tech agriculture, eco-tourism, and logistics.
DuongHong Thang, Chairman of the Hoc Mon People’s Committee, said the roadinfrastructure remains poor in the outlying district but it is solicitinginvestment in it.
BinhChanh will focus on innovation and start-ups development.
Onthe other hand, the suburban district of Nha Be will become a full-fledgedurban district with a focus on traffic infrastructure, digital government anddigital economy.
NhaBe aims to increase its average income, improve healthcare and infrastructure,build new urban areas, and develop green tourism.
ProfDr Vu Tan Hung, Deputy Director of the Institute of Social Sciences in theSouthern Region, said the urbanisation of the suburban districts would helpattract investment, enhance start-up and innovation activities, and attracthigh-quality human resources.
DrNguyen Ngoc Hieu of Viet Duc University said to develop into cities thesuburban districts must focus on developing “green and sustainable” urbanareas, and on careful management of lands along rivers, canals and other waterbodies.
“Prioritymust be given to the development of waterways and roads.”
Theyalso need to develop advanced public transport systems while preserving greenbuffer zones for high-tech agriculture, and address pressing issues such asflooding, pollution, land degradation, and saltwater intrusion.
Thefive districts have seen rapid urbanisation in recent years, with the creationof new urban areas, construction of expressways and improved lifestyles.
Expertshave said urbanisation of suburban districts must meet environmental andecological criteria.
Whetherthey live in suburban or urban areas, people are most concerned about whatbenefits them in terms of living standards.
Theyhave also warned that the information about upgrading the five outlyingdistricts would send land prices, which are already too high, through the roof.
HocMon spreads over more than 109 square kilometres and has a population ofnearly 463,000. The corresponding figures are 252sq.km and 711,000 for BinhChanh, 100sq.km and 208,000 for Nhà Bè, 435sq.km and 468,000 for Cu Chi, and704sq.km and 73,000 for Can Gio.
Earlylast year, Thu Duc city was established by merging districts 2, 9 and Thu Duc./.