Heart of Ho Chi Minh City to get $1.35 billion rejuvenation

The riverside project will include a new park, offering residents a welcome reprieve from the inner city hustle and bustle
Photo: Le Toan

When completed in 2018, the Saigon-Ba Son township at 2 Ton Duc Thang, Ben Nghe ward in District 1 will feature a trade centre, office buildings, residential units, primary and secondary schools, a health clinic and other essential services. Most notably, the project will contain a 60-storey office building on Ton Duc Thang street, which is expected to open by 2018.

Covering over 25 hectares in the heart of the second city, the project, which is being backed by Ho Chi Minh City Investment Service Trading JSC will be bordered by the Saigon River, Nguyen Huu Canh road, and Thi Nghe tunnel.

Together with other projects being built along the banks of the river, the Saigon-Ba Son township will be a key component of the city’s ongoing facelift. Other major changes in the pipeline include the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro and the upgrade of Nguyen Huu Canh road.

The Saigon-Ba Son project is part of a larger plan to move five inner-city ports outside of the city’s centre, thus freeing up land for urban development. Accordingly New Port, Ba Son port, and Khanh Hoi port will be relocated outside the city centre, clearing a large land fund for development projects such as Vinhomes Central Park, and the Saigon-Ba Son and Khanh Hoi townships.

A pedestrianised street will also be built running alongside the river, while Ton Duc Thang street will be led underground, allowing a public garden and park area to be built over it. This will be the largest public square in Ho Chi Minh City, stretching from Saigon bridge in Binh Thanh district to Tan Thuan bridge in District 7.

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam with more than 13 million residents. As it undergoes rapid transformation, the banks of the Saigon River will cease to function as port areas and will feature instead aesthetically pleasing parks for local residents to enjoy. The approval of the Sai Gon-Ba Son township, as well as the many other projects along the river, will transform Ho Chi Minh City into a modern metropolis with a green heart within the next three to five years.