Ho Chi Minh City: The challenges of growth

Ho Chi Minh City: The challenges of growth

June 12, 2013

Viet Nam’s transformation over the past two decades from a least developed, transitional economy to a middle-income country has taken place hand in hand with a process of rapid urbanization. The most recent census data for 2009 places Viet Nam’s urban population at well over 25 million, accounting for 29.6 percent of the total population, up by 40.4 percent from the previous census exercise of 1999. This process of urbanization poses important challenges to policy makers in a wide range of areas, from the promotion of the local economy, to the development of urban infrastructures and the provision of social services for its residents, migrant or registered. Nowhere are these challenges more pressing than in Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest city and its commercial capital.

Regions and Countries