Ho Chi Minh City proposes salary, housing autonomy to attract talent

Ho Chi Minh City could soon gain significant autonomy in setting salary and housing policies to attract top talent, under a proposed urban development law. The draft legislation aims to provide special mechanisms for major cities, particularly Ho Chi Minh City, to foster the development of high-caliber human resources.

The draft law specifically dedicates an article to attracting, utilizing, and developing human capital. It empowers the People's Council to decide on salary, remuneration, bonuses, and other income schemes for civil servants, public employees, and workers within the city. This includes policies on recruitment, training, and other benefits, alongside housing and residency arrangements.

These special provisions are designed to attract experts, scientists, managers, chief engineers, architects, and individuals with high-level expertise in the city's priority development sectors. The law also seeks to create mechanisms for foreign experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and highly skilled workers, facilitating their work permits and residency.

The National Assembly's Standing Committee is reviewing the draft, generally agreeing on its necessity but urging clarification on its focus for Ho Chi Minh City and other special urban areas. Committee Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that decentralization must be paired with power control, stating the law should create a legal framework for urban development for decades to come, rather than merely formalizing existing special mechanisms.

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We are not building a law to legitimize existing special mechanisms, but to create a legal framework with sufficient stature to guide urban development for decades to come.