HCMC is about to get a whole lot bigger.

Prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to create the Ho Chi Minh City Region by 2030 that will better integrate key economically areas into the urban center in addition battling rising sea levels.

The new region will include the city’s current 2095 km2 footprint (seen outlined in black on the map below) and the regional provinces of Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Tien Giang (the pink area on the map below) with a total area of 30,404 km2.

HCMC's current boundary outlined in blue. Dotted red lines represent the extent of the planned expansion.

The plan calls for the development of both industry and tourism including the development of rural areas, establishment of hi-tech agricultural zones and the establishment of national - and international - level tourism centers to preserve the region’s natural beauty.

This massive expansion follows similar plans in Hanoi and Dalat, all of which should be executed by 2030.