HCM City eyes making District 2 a central district

HCM CITY — The People’s Committee of HCM City plans to make District 2 a central district of the city.

The committee has asked District 2 authorities to work with Thủ Đức District and District 9 to build an innovative urban area in the eastern part of the city.

Nguyễn Thiện Nhân, the city’s Party Committee Secretary, said the urban area would be based on the advantages of each of the three districts.

According to the plan, District 2 would become a financial centre along with the Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area, while District 9 would be responsible for the development of technology. Thủ Đức District would have many high-quality universities.

The 22,000-ha innovative urban area would also be a centre for scientific research and administration, and would aim to attract domestic and foreign investment.

Start-up ideas would receive support from district authorities, especially projects in the field of environment and traffic.

District 2 has also been chosen as a pilot district for a smart-city project.

The project includes a smart-city administration centre, synchronised lightning system, socio-economic forecasting, an intelligent educational system, and an emergency operation centre, among others.

In addition, District 2 would have commercial services and financial functions. — VNS