Van Thanh Canal is about 1.5 km long, from Dien Bien Phu Bridge to the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal intersection, flowing through wards 19, 21, 22, Binh Thanh District.
This is an important canal in drainage and flood reduction for the area, but it has been encroached upon, filled in and seriously polluted.
On December 19, the canal's water surface was pitch black, the stench from household waste was strong, along with large mattresses floating.
Along the canal are dilapidated houses with corrugated iron roofs, wooden walls, and crooked wooden stakes, facing the luxury apartment complex on Ngo Tat To Street just a few dozen meters away. Along this canal is Metro Line 1, which will officially operate on December 22.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu (62 years old) has lived in this area since 1990. Her 25 m2 house is currently home to 5 members, full of furniture and only enough space for everyone to sit.
Ms. Lieu shared: "Although we heard about the relocation more than 20 years ago, we have not seen anything yet. Although the house is damaged, I do not dare to repair it for fear that I will have to relocate again soon."
Ms. Lieu’s son, Mr. Vo Tien Phat (40 years old), also said that life here is really not easy. The stench from the canal makes it difficult for the whole family to breathe.
"Sometimes dead animals float by, giving off a stench for days, greatly affecting my family's life. But we still have to live here because we have nowhere else to go," said Mr. Phat.
Witnessing this shabby scene, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Khanh (65 years old) - who has lived here for more than 40 years - recounted: "Before, the canal was not as polluted as it is now. But now, garbage from other areas is poured in, combined with the lack of responsibility of some people, making the canal increasingly polluted. When it is sunny, the stench rises, when it rains or when the tide is high, garbage flows into the house, insects are everywhere."
Since before 2000, local residents had heard about the clearance to implement the project to renovate this area. But it was not until 2020, when Metro Line 1 was nearly completed, that they were informed that the clearance and compensation would be carried out.
"Looking up at the high-rise buildings and seeing the completion of Metro Line 1, I just hope that one day the lives of the people here will improve. We hope that this canal will be renovated, the urban area will be beautified, and the original beauty of this area will be restored," Mr. Khanh confided.
Ho Chi Minh City had planned to renovate Rach Van Thanh but the plan was delayed many times. In 2003, the city planned to demolish 820 houses to renovate the area, but the project was halted.
In 2018, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee called for investment to renovate this large canal with a total cost of about 1,800 billion VND under the BT (build-transfer) form, but the plan encountered difficulties and had to switch to the form of public investment.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction is proposing to spend about VND6,100 billion from the state budget to renovate Van Thanh canal from now until 2028.
The project will relocate 1,063 households and clear the land at a cost of about VND4,920 billion. The canal will be dredged and a two-way traffic system will be built at a cost of about VND982 billion.
Ho Chi Minh City is developing a project with the goal of basically relocating and resettling 46,452 apartments along rivers, canals and streams in the area by 2030.
