The HCM City government is collaborating with consultants to formulate a scheme to turn the city into a regional and international financial hub. More than 20 years ago, a similar project was set up but failed to materialise.
Speaking at a press briefing today, October 8, to introduce a forthcoming economic forum, Vu Thanh Tu Anh, dean of Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, said that since 1992, the HCM City People’s Committee has organised trips to Shanghai, where a project was set up to turn the Chinese city into a regional financial centre, to learn from their experience.
Four years later, the HCM City government had a similar project. Today, Shanghai is a regional financial hub and is poised to reach international standards shortly. However, the Vietnamese metropolis is going back to the drawing board.
The Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management is now serving as a consulting unit for the HCM City government to devise a scheme to make the city a financial hub.
At the request of the city government, the HCM City Department of Home Affairs, the HCM City Business Association, the HCM City Finance and Investment Company and Fulbright Vietnam will work together to organise the HCM City Economic Forum 2019 on October 18.
The forum is aimed at seeking feedback from experts and businesses to streamline the financial centre scheme.
In response to the Saigon Times’ question on challenges affecting this transformation, Anh said that the greatest challenge is remaining competitive as many cities and countries wish to become financial centers at regional and global levels.
To be successful, a national policy covering the legal framework and institutions needed for the scheme should be created, he remarked.
Also, the city government needs to change its mindset, vision and strategy to enable the transformation process, with further attention being given to financial services. Other prerequisites are traffic infrastructure, finance, human resources and policies that encourage the involvement of the business community.
According to the organisers, the forum is expected to bring together some 800 delegates, including government leaders, representatives of embassies and financial experts at home and abroad.
It will take place at the White Palace Convention centre at 108 Pham Van Dong Street in Hiep Binh Chanh Ward of Thu Duc District.
Before the launch of the event, the organisers will match local and foreign firms to help them sound out cooperation opportunities.
