Dong Nai City People's Council shapes institutions to drive double-digit growth

On the morning of May 28, at the National Conference of People's Councils on launching orientations and tasks for the 2026–2031 term, Member of the Dong Nai City Party Committee (CPC)’s Standing Board and Standing Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Council Dang Minh Nguyet delivered a presentation titled “The Role of the Dong Nai City People's Council in promoting socio-economic development to achieve double-digit growth.”

Member of the CPC’s Standing Board and Standing Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Council Dang Minh Nguyet delivers her presentation at the conference.

Speaking at the conference, Member of the CPC’s Standing Board and Standing Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Council Dang Minh Nguyet said that following the reorganization of administrative units and the official commencement of operations on April 30, 2026, Dong Nai City has an area of 12,737 square kilometers, a population of more than 4.5 million, and 95 commune-level administrative units, serving as a strategic growth pole for the Southeastern region and the country as a whole. Dong Nai City's economy expanded by 9.63% in 2025, while state budget revenue surpassed 103 trillion VND, reaching 144% of the target assigned by the Prime Minister and ranking fourth nationwide. In the first quarter of 2026, the city's GRDP grew by 9.76%, and industrial production increased by more than 14%.

According to Dang Minh Nguyet, Dong Nai is facing significant development opportunities. Its three strategic growth drivers are taking shape: Long Thanh International Airport has completed 100% of site clearance and handover; the Dong Nai Free Trade Zone is expected to contribute 8–10.5% to the city's GRDP and create approximately 150,000 high-quality jobs; and the Hoa Lu Border Gate Economic Zone is promoting cross-border trade and logistics development. In addition, Dong Nai City has 89 planned industrial zones covering nearly 39,000 hectares. Of these, 43 are already operational, with an average occupancy rate exceeding 80%. The city is also home to a high-tech park and has attracted more than 43 billion USD in foreign direct investment from 51 countries and territories.

In this context, the double-digit growth target is viewed not merely as an economic indicator but also as a reflection of governance capacity, institutional quality, and the effectiveness of coordination across the entire political system. This requires the People's Council to shift strongly from its traditional role of passing resolutions and exercising oversight toward shaping development-oriented institutions, working closely with local authorities to address bottlenecks and mobilize resources.

An overview of the conference at the main venue in Hanoi.

Sharing practical experience at the conference, Member of the CPC’s Standing Board and Standing Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Council Dang Minh Nguyet said that the Dong Nai City People's Council has renewed its approach to issuing resolutions, shifting from an “approval-focused” mindset to a “development-enabling” one.

Since July 1, 2025, the Dong Nai City People's Council has convened 14 sessions, including two regular sessions and 12 thematic sessions, during which it adopted 172 important resolutions. Many breakthrough resolutions on infrastructure development were issued in a timely manner, including those related to Huong Lo 2 route under the public-private partnership (PPP) model; the connecting route linking Ma Da Bridge with Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road 4; the elevated roadway along National Highway 51; and the extension of the Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien metro line to Long Thanh International Airport. These decisions have not only expanded the city's growth potential but have also contributed directly to attracting foreign direct investment and enhancing local competitiveness.

Alongside these efforts, the City People's Council has innovated its supervisory activities, shifting from “procedural checks” to “resolving bottlenecks and accelerating implementation,” with a focus on public investment, site clearance, administrative reform, and the business environment.

During the term, the Standing members and specialised boards of the Dong Nai City People's Council organized 285 citizen reception sessions and conducted more than 300 field surveys. They also received and addressed more than 3,100 opinions from voters and businesses.

Through its oversight activities, the Dong Nai City People's Council has found that many existing bottlenecks stemmed not from a lack of policies or resources but from delays in handling administrative procedures, insufficient inter-agency coordination, and a reluctance to assume responsibility. Recommendations made following oversight activities have helped accelerate the implementation of key projects, including Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road 3, major expressways, and transport infrastructure connected to Long Thanh International Airport. At the same time, the City People's Council is advancing the development of a digital People's Council that is modern, transparent, and data-driven. The council has introduced electronic sessions, digital documentation, online oversight mechanisms, and shared databases, gradually transitioning from manual operations to digital data-based governance. The satisfaction of citizens and businesses is regarded as a key measure of the council’s performance.

Delegates attend the conference at the Dong Nai venue. Photo: Ho Thao

According to Dang Minh Nguyet, the Dong Nai City People's Council consistently upholds the principle that economic growth must go hand in hand with social welfare, the development of social housing, grassroots healthcare services, high-quality human resource training, and environmental protection. She emphasized that double-digit growth is meaningful only when it generates stable employment opportunities and improves the quality of life for the people.

Drawing from local experience, the Dong Nai City People's Council has recommended that the National Assembly and its Standing Committee promptly finalize mechanisms for decentralization and delegation of authority, while issuing specific mechanisms and policies for Dong Nai City to facilitate its proactive mobilization of resources for the development of airport urban areas, logistics services, free-trade zones, and high-tech industries. At the same time, it proposed that central authorities soon promulgate synchronized guidelines on the organization and operation of the city People's Council following the administrative reorganization, ensuring that the council has an adequate legal framework and sufficient tools to effectively fulfill its development-enabling role.

Delegates attend the conference at the Dong Nai venue. Photo: Ho Thao.

An overview of the conference at the Dong Nai venue. Photo: Ho Thao.

Dang Minh Nguyet affirmed that to achieve the double-digit growth target in the new development phase, alongside the Party’s leadership and the local authorities’ decisive administration, there must be a People's Council that truly serves as an institution for facilitating development, acting as a bridge between the Party's will and the people's aspirations, as well as between development goals and practical actions.

With strong political determination and a spirit of innovation, the Dong Nai City People's Council will continue to uphold its role and responsibilities, working closely with the City Party Committee, local authorities, and residents to achieve the double-digit growth target. These efforts aim to realize the aspiration of building a civilized, modern, and happy Dong Nai City, becoming a key growth pole in the Southeastern region and the country, and contributing more substantially to the nation's overall development.

By Ho Thao – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha