Ho Chi Minh City approves plan to draft a Special City Law

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has issued a plan to develop the draft Special City Law, with preparation expected to be completed before May 2026, serving as the basis for implementing the drafting steps and submitting the bill for promulgation in the near future. Accordingly, the drafting of the Law aims to create an institutional framework that meets the practical development needs of a special city in the long term, through full and timely concretization of the Party and State’s guidelines and directions, creating momentum for stable and sustainable development of the special city. The plan emphasizes linking three strategic tasks: a comprehensive review of Resolution 31-NQ/TW; drafting a new central resolution; and, at the same time, researching, proposing, and advising on preparing the dossier to request the Law project. This is defined as an integrated, concurrent process where practical lessons learned form the basis, political direction guides the process, and the legal-institutional framework is the final product. The city government notes that drafting the Law must strictly adhere to legal procedures to ensure progress, quality, effectiveness, feasibility, and alignment with the principle of the Party’s comprehensive leadership. It highlights the duties and responsibilities of the heads of agencies in coordinating activities to build and implement the Law. With a long-term objective, the Law project should reflect a “development-creating” mindset, design a coherent, flexible institutional framework, and remain steadfast to local development goals. It should also specify the content of tasks to be performed, prioritize certain areas, set deadlines, ensure completion, and clearly assign lead responsibilities while ensuring tight coordination among the relevant agencies and units. In terms of preparation, it is planned that in April 2026 the city will establish an inter-sectoral coordination group under the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee (Editing Team) to direct the Law project. The necessary resources and policies will also be prepared to support drafting work, aiming to complete preparation before May 2026. According to the plan, the steps to implement the Law project include: reviewing and fully preparing conditions and resources; examining content to adjust the 2026 Legal Program based on practicality; organizing drafting and submitting the Law project to the National Assembly for promulgation; and preparing conditions for enforcement after passage. Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee assigns the Department of Justice as the lead agency, coordinating with related agencies to advise the City’s People’s Committee during the process of coordination with the ministries responsible for drafting, as well as in reporting to the City’s Party Committee, the City Party Committee, and other competent authorities on the Law project.