On July 23, 2026, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City officially approved the establishment of a free trade zone linked to the Cai Mep Ha port complex. The corresponding Decision No. 4560/QĐ-UBND was signed by Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Cong Vinh. This document moved the project from the planning stage to practical implementation.
The creation of the free trade zone represents the next phase in implementing the development strategy for Vietnam's southern economic region. The legal framework for the free trade zone was approved by the National Assembly back in December 2025 as part of special mechanisms for the development of Ho Chi Minh City. Now, city authorities have officially defined the territory of the future zone, its management model, and project implementation stages.
The free trade zone will cover an area of over 4,174 hectares in the Tan Phuoc and Tan Hai wards, which became part of Ho Chi Minh City following administrative reform. The project will integrate three functional zones and eight interconnected sub-zones, including an operational container terminal, the new Cai Mep Ha terminal, a railway station on the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau line, an inland waterway port, a logistics center, an industrial park, as well as industrial-urban and service developments.
The zone will operate under a duty-free territory model with unified customs and administrative regulations. According to the authorities' plan, the free trade zone is set to become a hub for the development of logistics, international trade, high-tech manufacturing, and the digital and green economies. In the future, the project will synergize the capabilities of the Cai Mep – Thi Vai deep-water port, the planned Can Gio international transshipment port, and the under-construction Long Thanh International Airport, located approximately 25 km from the new zone.
The project development is divided into three stages. Up to 2030, plans include upgrading existing infrastructure, completing administrative digitalization, improving transport links, and attracting strategic investors. In the period up to 2035, authorities intend to complete the establishment of the logistics and industrial ecosystem, and after 2035, transform the Cai Mep Ha free trade zone into one of the largest maritime and logistics hubs in Southeast Asia.
The key component of the project—the Cai Mep Ha container terminal, valued at over 50.8 trillion VND (approximately USD 1.93 billion)—has already secured an investor. Its construction will be undertaken by the Geleximco – ITC – SCIC consortium, while authorities continue preparing documentation to select strategic, including foreign, investors for the logistics center and urban areas of the free trade zone.