Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal at night. Photo: VNA
Along with Kuala Lumpur, Bengaluru, Shenzhen and Tashkent, the southern metropolis of Vietnam was named one of the five “Cities to Watch” in the Asia-Pacific region.
The index uses 27 indicators spread across five categories: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance.
In these rankings, Ho Chi Minh City placed 142nd in economics, 71st in human capital, 342nd in quality of life, 555th in environment, and 625th in governance. These standings are based on a GDP of 128 billion USD, a GDP per capita of 9,000 USD, and a projected population of 14.2 million in 2025.
The report highlighted its three specific strengths: rapid GDP growth, relatively high income equality and economic stability. The economic hub of Vietnam is projected to be among the world's 50 fastest-growing cities over the next five years.
Compared with the 2025 edition, Ho Chi Minh City improved in four of the five pillars, rising 194 places in governance, 106 places in human capital and 69 places in economics. The two pillars where it fell were quality of life, down 17 places, and environment, down 100 places – precisely the two areas the city has identified as priorities for the 2026–2030 period.
While Ho Chi Minh City ranked behind Hanoi in 2025, it became the top-ranked Vietnamese city in 2026, ahead of Hanoi (243rd), Da Nang (375th) and Hai Phong (667th).
Within ASEAN, Ho Chi Minh City ranked fifth, after Singapore (29th), Kuala Lumpur (65th), Bangkok (122nd) and Jakarta (140th), and ahead of Manila (174th). Across Asia, it ranked below Seoul (38th) and Shenzhen (93rd), but above Shanghai (216th), Delhi (268th) and Mumbai (330th).
A comparison with Kuala Lumpur shows that the gap lies not in growth rates but in urban quality, with Ho Chi Minh City ranking 342nd versus 283rd in quality of life and 555th versus 318th in environment.
Oxford Economics forecasts that by 2050, Ho Chi Minh City's GDP will be nearly on a par with Berlin's while its per-capita income – currently outside the top 500 cities – is projected to exceed the European average by 2045./.