Vinhomes Green Paradise, a 2,870-hectare coastal development in Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh City, has entered the global voting phase of New7Wonders' "7 Wonders of Future Cities" campaign as its first Official Participant. The vote opens on Oct. 31, 2026, and will proceed in three stages, culminating in the declaration of seven winners on Oct. 31, 2027. The project's participation matters because it places Vietnam at the center of a global conversation about what a future city should be, and it tests whether a large-scale development can reconcile urban growth with the protection of a sensitive natural environment.
The campaign, launched on Oct. 31, 2025, has drawn 265 participants from around the world. Public voting from November 2026 to April 2027 will determine a longlist of 77, from which New7Wonders will select 28 finalists. Those finalists will then compete through three qualifier stages from May to October 2027, with millions of votes expected to decide the outcome. Vinhomes Green Paradise's early designation as the first Official Participant gives it a head start in visibility and signals that its approach has already met the campaign's initial criteria.
Measured against those criteria, the project rests on three pillars. Environmentally, it occupies a rare coastal site adjacent to the UNESCO-recognized Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, and construction density across the site is planned at just 16%, leaving most of the land for green spaces, water bodies and ecological landscapes. On the smart city front, the development is designed to integrate the Internet of Things, big data and artificial intelligence into urban governance, operations and environmental monitoring to optimize resource use and improve efficiency. Its human-centric pillar envisions an ecosystem of internationally benchmarked services spanning healthcare, education, senior living, culture, sports, entertainment and dining.
Jean-Paul de la Fuente, director of New7Wonders and chairman of the campaign, said after an on-site visit that the Can Gio setting places the relationship between development and nature at the center of the discussion. He noted that Vinhomes' stated ambition to build that relationship into its vision is an important starting point, while the project's lasting value will depend on how planning decisions, environmental safeguards and long-term management support the ecosystem as the development progresses. "For me, this is where the idea of a future city becomes particularly meaningful: understanding the natural systems on which a place depends and explaining how they will be cared for," he said. His remarks underscore that the campaign is not merely a popularity contest but a platform for scrutiny of responsible development in sensitive natural settings.
The implications extend beyond the project itself. With the United Nations projecting that around 68% of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050, the idea of a wonder is shifting from natural landscapes to cities that balance nature, technology, sustainability and quality of life. Vietnam's earlier success with Ha Long Bay, which earned a place among the New7Wonders of Nature, demonstrated the country's ability to rally international support. The Can Gio project's participation is expected to inspire national pride and strengthen Vietnam's voice in the global conversation on the future of cities. For a development still in progress, the vote offers an international benchmark against which its environmental and social performance will be judged. More information is available at https://vinhomes.vn/en.
