The city scored 62.6 points in the 2026 Global Cities Index, which assesses the strengths, weaknesses and future potential of the world's 1,000 largest cities.

An aerial view of central Ho Chi Minh City area near the Saigon River, August 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

The index is compiled by Oxford Economics, a major independent economic research and consulting organization based in the U.K.

The index evaluates cities across five categories: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance.

This year, HCMC scored 58 (out of 100) for economics, 65.7 for human capital, 64.4 for quality of life, 61.7 for environment and 49.7 for governance.

Compared with the 2025 edition, the city improved in three of the five pillars, with governance rising 194 places, human capital 106 places and economics 69 places. It fell 17 places in quality of life and 100 places in environment.

In Southeast Asia, HCMC ranked fifth behind Singapore (29th), Kuala Lumpur (65th), Bangkok (122nd), Jakarta (140th) and Manila (174th).

Oxford Economics said the index combines current data with forecasts to assess the strengths, weaknesses and development potential of each city.

Placing HCMC among "key cities to watch" across Asia Pacific, Oxford Economics said "HCMC's strength is in the Economics category, where it ranks within the top 150 cities."

"HCMC's role as Vietnam's export engine and home to the largest port in the country has driven economic growth in the city, and we expect it to rank among the 50 fastest-growing cities over the next five years," it added.

"The city is an attractive location for foreign direct investment, which has hit record highs in recent years, encouraging expansion in manufacturing (including higher-value electronic goods) as well as in business service sectors."

The ranking comes as HCMC expands its development space and completes its institutional framework for a new phase.

On August 24, the National Assembly passed the Urban Development Law which will take effect Oct. 1 with provisions on the process for issuing legal documents under Ho Chi Minh City's new mechanism effective from Sept. 1.

The law focuses on decentralization and delegation of powers, giving cities more room to mobilize and allocate resources while strengthening accountability.

The National Assembly identified it as one of the institutional foundations for promoting the development of major cities, including HCMC.

After its merger with Binh Duong and Vung Tau last year, HCMC is now Vietnam's most populous city with more than 14 million people. It has an economy worth $128 billion and GDP per capita of $9,000.

The city aims to rank among the world's top 100 cities by 2030, becoming a modern, dynamic urban center and a regional innovation hub.

By 2045, it aims to be among the world's 100 cities with the highest quality of life and become an international megacity in Southeast Asia.

Regarding quality of life and environment, the two pillars where the city's ranking declined, it is focusing on improvements over the next five years, including plans to control pollution and manage air quality, implement environmental sanitation projects, relocate houses along canals and upgrade urban areas.

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