Why is Ho Chi Minh City the most popular place for people to migrate to?

Lawyer Nguyen Thi Bich Loan (Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association) commented as above when talking about a "generous Saigon". This is also the opinion of many people in our survey after Ho Chi Minh City took the top position as the place most people want to live.

The Promised Land of Tolerance

The recently released report "Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index: Measured from People's Experience, 2023" shows that Ho Chi Minh City is the locality that people from other provinces want to migrate to the most, followed by Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho and Lam Dong. Why is Ho Chi Minh City with traffic jams, flooding, and traffic congestion the choice of many people from other provinces?

Ho Chi Minh City needs to promote infrastructure development to become a super city.

Ask Nguyen Thanh Sang, a native of Can Tho who came to Ho Chi Minh City to study mechanical engineering and is working here, he simply said: Ho Chi Minh City gives him a job, with enough income to support himself and send back to his family. Sang said: "I lived in Ho Chi Minh City for nearly 5 years, but after 2 years of uncertainty, many months of unemployment due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After the pandemic, I also planned to return to my hometown, went to Tra Noc Industrial Park (Can Tho) to find a job but it was not stable. The income was lower and I still had to rent a house, so I reluctantly returned to Ho Chi Minh City. Here I have a stable job, although I live in a rented house, I can still save money to occasionally send to my mother to help me pay for my studies".

Ms. Van Thi Suu (Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City), from Ha Tinh, came to Ho Chi Minh City in 1999, when Tan Phu District had not yet been established. She worked as a worker at Bita's shoe factory on Au Co Street for 3 years, then the factory moved to Huong Lo 2, Binh Tan District, she quit her job because it was too far away, and switched to selling sidewalk coffee on Doc Lap Street (Tan Phu District) to make a living. Then she got married, had 2 children, and until now she still lives in Tan Phu District, specializing in hourly housekeeping for many families in the district. "I didn't get an education, it was too difficult in the countryside, at that time I came to Ho Chi Minh City thinking that anything was fine, as long as I could make ends meet. After having children, I thought about going back to my hometown a few times because there were comfortable houses and gardens, but when I went back there I only had a house to live in, what would I use to raise my children to study? So I stayed in Ho Chi Minh City and until now I don't think about leaving. Ho Chi Minh City is easy to live in even if I have to rent a room, my children don't have to drop out of school...", Ms. Suu confided.

Unlike the two cases above, Mr. Nguyen Chanh Tue (District 7, Ho Chi Minh City) used to study marketing at an international university in Ho Chi Minh City. The opportunity to study abroad for Tue was not too difficult when he received scholarships from two schools in the US. However, due to the outbreak of the pandemic, he was forced to change direction and decided to leave Da Nang for Ho Chi Minh City to study and work. Nguyen Chanh Tue has a clear point of view: "This city has many opportunities suitable for the profession for young people to pursue. This is also a dynamic and constantly changing environment, meeting the trends of the times and suitable for economic development. I like this city because of its dynamism, modernity and youthfulness". Currently, Nguyen Chanh Tue is working at an American university located in Ho Chi Minh City and he said he is quite satisfied with his work and life in this city.

Out-of-towners make great contributions to the city

In reality, Ho Chi Minh City is not only a place to "take care" of those who come here to work, stay, and simply make a living. Even for those who have had a stable life, lived in this city for more than half of their lives, and have many opportunities to change their living environment, they still choose to stay.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Quoc Khanh, working in the logistics industry, with an office located in District 1, briefly commented: This city is easy to find a job, there are many opportunities to get rich, the city provides jobs for ordinary workers, from manual labor to senior management positions in foreign corporations. In general, a place with many job opportunities can make you richer, more comfortable and create a more sustainable life.

"In particular, services in Ho Chi Minh City from entertainment to education and healthcare are all better. Besides, the weather in Ho Chi Minh City is not as harsh as in the Central or Northern regions. Ho Chi Minh City does not have a cold season that cuts the skin and flesh, nor is it humid and uncomfortable. That is a plus point that not only for locals, but also for many young foreigners who like to live in this city", Ms. Quoc Khanh shared and added that right in the apartment building where she is living, there are also "above-average" neighbors: "They are native Saigonese and people from all over the country who come here to buy houses, but the common feature is that we create an emotional, harmonious, friendly and trustworthy living environment. In that space, I love the city where I live more".

Many people commented that Ho Chi Minh City has many job opportunities and is dynamic, which attracts them.

Associate Professor Dr. Phan An commented that a city considered the economic locomotive of the country must certainly have all the factors of "heavenly time, favorable location, and harmony of people". Ho Chi Minh City has all of those factors. Having lived in the city for nearly 50 years, he has followed the city's changes in each stage, from street corners to tree rows along the road. "Because this is the place that gives people confidence in the future, work, life, education... over the past few decades, there have been many migrations from the countryside to the city, from small cities to big cities. Not only domestic people, but also many foreigners like life here," he commented.

However, because it is the "promised land" of many people, air quality, environment, traffic... overload are inevitable. These are issues that the city must improve quickly and systematically to maintain its attractiveness.

"Because people from all over want to migrate here not only to make a living but they are also contributing to the development of the city. The attractiveness of investors to the city also partly lies in the workforce from all over, including senior personnel. Without garment workers, businesses will not have goods to export, pay taxes to the city, the city will not be able to collect budget from logistics services, housing taxes, etc. To maintain its position at the top of the list as a promised land for investors and people from many places, the city needs to have a long-term vision in planning. Infrastructure and transportation projects must be strongly developed. Observations show that the face of the city has changed a lot but seems to have stagnated in recent years, partly due to the impact of the epidemic. The city needs projects that bring newness and modernity in both form and content," Associate Professor, Dr. Phan An recommended.

Ho Chi Minh City is still very young compared to other big cities in the world, and its development potential is still very large. Therefore, we must aim to build a megacity, and there must be small cities within a big city, because if we let it develop naturally like this, it will lead to overload and even slums for the city. When we want to change it, it will be very difficult. The policy of population dispersion is to invest in infrastructure and develop urban culture in small cities. In addition to high-rise buildings, industrial parks, and digital administrative centers, there must also be museums, theaters, etc. We must create a true living space for future generations. Doing these things will only benefit the city and move towards a more civilized and larger megacity.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan An

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