Vietnam has long been known for exporting agricultural products and, more recently, advanced technology through VinFast. Now, Vinhomes, the country's leading real estate developer, is preparing a different kind of export: its all-in-one integrated mega-city model. The company's flagship project, Vinhomes Green Paradise in Can Gio, became the first project recognized by New7Wonders as an Official Participant in its "7 Wonders of Future Cities" campaign and has since advanced to the global vote. This development matters because it signals a potential shift in how countries address rapid urbanization, offering a replicable model that delivers homes alongside essential infrastructure and services.
Vinhomes has already brought 32 projects and urban developments into operation, serving hundreds of thousands of residents across Vietnam. Its strategy is now reaching beyond domestic borders, with projects and development plans in Congo, India, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The model is designed to meet a defining challenge of rapid urbanization: delivering homes together with commercial, educational, healthcare, transportation, and public infrastructure, rather than years later. This integrated approach contrasts with typical developments where housing comes first and amenities follow, often leaving residents with long commutes and scattered services.
The global context underscores the importance of this model. According to the United Nations' World Urbanization Prospects 2025, cities are now home to 45% of the world's 8.2 billion people, more than double their 20% share in 1950. Cities are projected to absorb two-thirds of global population growth between now and 2050. The real challenge is not how many homes get built, but whether infrastructure can keep pace. Vinhomes' integrated townships, typically larger than 300 hectares in strategic locations, are designed to function as economies in miniature, generating jobs, services, and investment as residents move in.
International market data supports the value of integration. Zonda's Master Plan Outlook found that U.S. master-planned communities averaged 2.3 home sales per month in the third quarter of 2025, compared with 2.1 for standalone communities; in the entry-level segment below $300,000, the gap widened to 51%. Research by Cushman & Wakefield found that median household incomes in the master-planned communities it studied were 38% higher than in surrounding areas, a profile that helps draw premium retail and services. These figures suggest that integrated developments can outperform traditional ones, making Vinhomes' export strategy potentially lucrative.
Vinhomes Green Paradise showcases the model's ambition. Spanning 2,870 hectares with a construction density of just 16%, the project reserves most of its land for greenery and water, including a natural seawater lagoon of up to 800 hectares and 121 kilometers of shoreline. It sits beside the 75,000-hectare Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO. The project stood out across New7Wonders' three pillars: Environment & Nature, Smart City, and Human-Centric Development. The human-centric pillar comes to life in a new idea of the second home: the city by morning, the sea by evening. Once the planned Ben Thanh–Can Gio rail line, designed for speeds of up to 350 km/h, is complete, the trip from downtown Ho Chi Minh City to the coast is expected to take about 13 minutes. By road, with the Can Gio Bridge replacing the Binh Khanh ferry and Rung Sac Boulevard widened, the drive should take around 35 minutes. Such travel times would bring a coastal home within daily commuting range of the city center.
The project is designed so that every generation finds its own joy in a shared place. Children can paddleboard and swim in the lagoon, cycle along seaside paths, and explore the 122-hectare VinWonders, with 280 attractions and 30 shows a day, while Young Paradise Hub nurtures their talents in technology and the arts. Grandparents can stroll through 370 parks, unwind in thermal mineral waters at Retreat Hub, connect with friends at New Horizon Center, and share their experience at the Wisdom Academy within Vin New Horizon. Shared moments can be simple: a sunset on the lagoon's sandy shore, fireworks over the bay, an evening at the Song Xanh theater.
A city model becomes exportable not because of its size, but because it addresses a challenge shared by cities worldwide: creating places where people choose to live, work, and return to each day. Having applied the model from Hanoi and Ha Long to Can Gio, Vinhomes is now taking it to international markets as a new kind of "Made in Vietnam." For more information, visit https://vinhomes.vn/en.
