A view of HCM City’s District 2. (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at a People’s Council meeting on Monday, Le Thanh Liem, Vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, said the municipal administration would complete the proposal for creating the new city within a city for submission to the Ministry of Home Affairs by October 25. If approved, the proposal would then be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for approval.

Earlier this month more than 80 percent of more than 410,000 residents of the three districts voted “yes” to the merger plan, according to local authorities. Besides, people in Thu Duc and District 9 almost unanimously agreed to the name Thu Duc City, while 76 percent did so in District 2.

To seek ideas for the new city, city authorities last year launched a planning contest that was won by an entry by US architecture and design firm Sasaki Associates Inc, which proposed different zones, facilities and development plans with all the elements needed for a smart city and innovation and other features to support the growth of technology and other key industries.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the plan to build a city within a city is “unprecedented” in the country and would require “extensive study.” The city has established a steering committee headed by People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong to develop a master plan for it.

Thu Duc City would  spread over 211 square kilometres and house more than a million people. The new city is expected to contribute 30 percent of the city’s economic growth, and 4-5 percent of the country’s.