Within the ASEAN region, Ho Chi Minh City currently ranks 3rd after Singapore (ranked 4th globally) and Kuala Lumpur (ranked 42nd), higher than Bangkok (Thailand) and Jakarta (Indonesia).
In its 38th ranking published in September 2025, Ho Chi Minh City ranked 95th out of 120 cities, an increase of 3 places compared to the previous assessment.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Huan, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam International Finance Center in Ho Chi Minh City (VIFC-HCMC), assessed that the 11-rank increase in this ranking is a very positive sign, showing that the strategy of building an international financial center is on the right track. "VIFC-HCMC is beginning to be repositioned on the global financial map, from a frontier market to a potential destination for international capital flows," said Dr. Huan.
Previously, on February 11th, VIFC-HCMC officially launched and commenced operations, opening a new phase of development with initial results such as the formation of an aviation finance center with $6.1 billion in committed capital; the development of a maritime finance center to serve trade finance and logistics; and the mobilization of approximately $2 billion for smart city data infrastructure and financial programs.
In addition, VIFC-HCMC has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the VinaCapital consortium and the Global On-Chain Economic Alliance to research, develop, and operate the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Asset Fund, with a committed capital of US$1 billion; focusing on blockchain, asset tokenization, and next-generation digital finance models.
It is expected that cross-border trade transactions will also be conducted through VIFC-HCMC's interbank financial system in the near future.
Previously, the draft VIFC-HCMC development strategy aimed to place Ho Chi Minh City in the top 75 of the GFCI (Global Financial Centres Index) ranking by 2035 and in the top 50 by 2045.
In its separate outlook assessment, GFCI 39 ranked Ho Chi Minh City among the top 15 financial centers expected to increase in importance within the next 2-3 years. Regarding Fintech rankings and assessments, Ho Chi Minh City also showed significant improvement, climbing 7 places from 90th in GFCI 38 to 83rd in this assessment.
