World Economic Forum (WEF) Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer Stephan Mergenthaler said Ho Chi Minh City could better connect local companies with global investors and technology partners as the city pursues growth.
Mergenthaler spoke at the Autumn Economic Forum plenary on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The city portal’s forum account said he discussed intelligence, industries combining resilience with sustainability, and stronger connections among markets as themes for future growth. He also pointed to the city’s commercial base and international ties as potential bridges to overseas partners, the account said. VnExpress International separately reported Mergenthaler’s view that the city could strengthen its role as an internationally connected growth center.
Nguyen Van Duoc, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, said stronger links to international capital, trade and supply chains are needed to support the city’s finance, innovation and logistics sectors.
Vietnam’s General Statistics Office reported that the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) rose 9.06% year over year in the first nine months of 2026, below its 9.43% target for the period. The city government said fourth-quarter GRDP would need to grow 13.23% for full-year growth to exceed 10%.
The city government also reported attracting about $17.8 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) during the first nine months, up 323.1% from a year earlier and 62.4% above its full-year target. Government News separately reported exports of about $76 billion for the same period, citing a Ho Chi Minh City deputy chairman.
The forum ran Oct. 26-29 and registered more than 1,800 delegates, with 250 speakers from 60 countries and territories, the city portal said. A government advance notice said the Oct. 27-28 main sessions would be co-branded with the WEF, an arrangement it described as unprecedented for the event.
