The main objective is to develop Hoi An City into a national specialized city with its own identity in terms of cultural heritage, ecology, landscape, environment, and modernity. In which, the World Cultural Heritage of Hoi An Ancient Town and the World Biosphere Reserve of Cu Lao Cham are the spreading nucleus. Hoi An will be a tourism center of the province and one of Vietnam's international tourist centers.

Hoi An City is expected to achieve the equivalent criteria of a class-2 urban with a minimum population of 200,000 people, a minimum population density of 1,800 people/km2, at least 65% of non-agricultural workers and satisfactory landscape, urban and technical infrastructure systems. Hoi An smart City will be synchronously connected with the Quang Nam smart urban area, the Vietnam smart city network and in the global network of creative cities.