At a special session on Thursday morning, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council elected Phong, a member of the Party Central Committee and standing deputy secretary of the municipal Party Committee, as chairman of the municipal People's Committee for the 2026-2031 term, with all 112 votes in favor.
Phong, born in Hanoi, holds a doctorate in biotechnology. He began his political career in the Communist Youth Union and student organizations, previously serving as deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, president of the Vietnam National Union of Students and first secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's Central Committee.
Le Quoc Phong attends a meeting with farmers, cooperatives and businesses operating in the agricultural sector on the morning of Nov. 11, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tuyet
In October 2020, at the age of 42, he was transferred and nominated by the Politburo for election as secretary of Dong Thap Province's Party Committee for the 2020-2025 term, replacing Le Minh Hoan. At the time, he was the youngest provincial Party secretary in the country.
After Dong Thap merged with Tien Giang on July 1, 2025, he continued serving as provincial Party secretary before being transferred to HCMC.
During more than a year as standing deputy secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, he was assigned to directly oversee a review of the Politburo's Resolution 31 on the city's development orientations and tasks through 2030, with a vision to 2045, as a basis for proposing development strategies for the new period.
Duoc, 58, Phong's predecessor, is from the former Long An Province, now part of Tay Ninh Province, and holds a master's degree in geology. He spent much of his career working in Long An, where he served as provincial Party Committee secretary before being transferred to HCMC.
Duoc was elected chairman of the HCMC People's Committee by the municipal People's Council on Feb. 20, 2025. After the city merged with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, he continued in the position and was re-elected for the 2026-2031 term on March 30.
Following Phong's election, the standing leadership of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee comprises the chairman and seven vice chairmen: Nguyen Loc Ha, Nguyen Manh Cuong, Bui Minh Thanh, Nguyen Cong Vinh, Hoang Nguyen Dinh, Tran Van Bay and Truong Minh Huy Vu.
Phong takes office as HCMC steps up efforts to achieve three major targets for 2026: double-digit economic growth, state budget revenue of VND1 quadrillion (US$38 billion) and full disbursement of public investment funds.
HCMC after administrative mergers is now home to more than 14 million people and an economy worth over $120 billion, accounting for approximately 23% of Vietnam's GDP. The city aims to join the world's 100 leading cities by 2030, becoming a modern, dynamic metropolis and a regional innovation hub.
The city's gross regional domestic product (GRDP) reached approximately VND3 quadrillion last year, while state budget revenue exceeded VND800 trillion. More than VND114 trillion in public investment funds had been disbursed by the end of the fiscal year. However, GRDP growth stood at 7.53%, falling short of the double-digit target. Services remained the main growth driver, while industry and construction recovered but failed to generate growth commensurate with the scale of the economy.
In the first nine months of this year, the city's GRDP grew 9.06% year-on-year. To achieve its full-year growth target of 10.2%, the economy must expand by more than 13% in the final quarter, placing considerable pressure on the city's administration.
State budget revenue reached nearly VND762 trillion in the first 10 months. To meet the VND1 quadrillion target, the city must collect more than VND238 trillion over the final two months, averaging over VND3.9 trillion per day.
Public investment disbursement has been a bright spot. By the end of October, the city had disbursed more than VND118 trillion, equivalent to 80.1% of the VND147.599 trillion allocated. Nearly VND29.3 trillion remains to be disbursed to meet the full-year target.
HCMC is also entering a new phase of implementing the Urban Development Law, which took effect on Oct. 1. The law grants the city additional authority and special mechanisms to address institutional obstacles, mobilize resources and accelerate investment.