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Less than a week remains before Vietnam gains its seventh centrally governed city adjacent to Cambodia. On Friday, April 24, 2026, official sources reported that the National Assembly approved a resolution establishing Dong Nai as a centrally administered city, with 478 of 487 deputies voting in favor.
Under the resolution, Dong Nai City will be formed based on the province’s entire natural area and population. It will border Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong Province, Tay Ninh Province, and the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The resolution takes effect from April 30, 2026, when Dong Nai will become a centrally governed city.
The Government, the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of Dong Nai Province (and Dong Nai City’s authorities from the effective date) are responsible for implementing the resolution. This includes reorganizing agencies as required and ensuring social and economic development, national defense and security.
Agencies and entities named after Dong Nai Province will be renamed to Dong Nai City from the effective date. Documents issued before the effective date that remain valid will continue to apply until expiration or revision under applicable law.
From the effective date, existing provincial policies and mechanisms will continue to be implemented in Dong Nai City until the end of the transition period or until a subsequent decision.
Before the deputies voted, the Government’s report reaffirmed that Dong Nai meets all five conditions for city status. After its establishment, Dong Nai is expected to serve as a model for an industrial, technology-driven and sustainable economy, with a focus on green and advanced manufacturing and high-tech agriculture, and an international logistics gateway.
The Government also said a package of measures to promote regional linkages, technology transfer, logistics centers, and training and quality workforce supply for the Southern region will be implemented coherently across the region. This is intended to support Dong Nai’s role in promoting economic and social development in the south and to enable synergistic development with Ho Chi Minh City.
With the approval, Dong Nai becomes the seventh centrally administered city after Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho, and Hue.
Dong Nai is currently the country’s leading province by economic size (excluding centrally governed cities). In 2025, its GRDP was reported at 677.932 trillion VND, ranking fourth nationwide behind Hai Phong, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Dong Nai also has comprehensive transport infrastructure across five modes: road, air, rail, seaport and inland waterway. A key project is the Long Thanh International Airport mega-project, which is set to commence commercial operations in Q2 2026.
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