Recorded on July 19, both sides of Xuyen Tam canal became clear after houses located within the project were cleared.
At the section near Bach Dang street, where previously houses were expanded to cover the canal surface, dozens of concrete piles suddenly appeared in the middle of the canal.
According to local people, these are pile foundations that are driven into the canal bed to make the foundation for extended houses encroaching on the water surface. When the project was dismantled, the entire pile system still remained under the canal bed.
The image of the pile site revealed also reflects the reality that Xuyen Tam canal has been seriously encroached upon for many years. Houses are growing close to the water's edge, many sections are being expanded, encroaching almost completely on the canal bed, causing the flow to narrow, waste and domestic wastewater to be discharged directly into the canal, causing prolonged pollution.
However, after completing site clearance, the Xuyen Tam canal renovation project is entering the synchronous construction phase with the goal of bringing the canal route "back to life".
Mr. Van Duc Quang - Head of Project Management Board 3, Director of Xuyen Tam canal project (under the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board) - said that the investor and contractors are determined to shorten the progress, striving to basically complete the entire project by the end of 2027 or the beginning of 2028.
Package XL-03, which started construction in May 2025, has currently reached about 65% of the volume and is expected to be completed in 2026.
At package XL-02 (from Bui Dinh Tuy bridge to Luong Ngoc Quyen street, including Binh Loi and Binh Trieu canals), after having clean ground, the construction unit has arranged 10 construction teams, focusing on CDM drilling, clamping piles and reinforcing weak soil foundations. According to the plan, in about 1-2 months, this area will begin to form the first embankment sections.
Meanwhile, package XL-01 (from Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal to Bui Dinh Tuy bridge, including Cau Son canal) is also currently deploying 6 construction teams and continuing to supplement equipment and manpower to accelerate progress.
Xuyen Tam canal is nearly 9 km long, connecting from Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal to Vam Thuat river, passing through An Nhon, Gia Dinh, Binh Thanh and Binh Loi Trung wards. In which, the main route is 6.7 km long, and three auxiliary branches are about 2.2 km long.
The canal renovation project has a total investment of more than 17,000 billion VND, of which compensation, support and resettlement costs account for about 14,000 billion VND. To implement the project, the city has recovered land from 2,190 cases, including 1,293 cases of full clearance and 897 cases of partial clearance. Site clearance work was completed at the end of June 2026.
According to the plan, Xuyen Tam canal will be dredged 3.5 m deep, the cross-section will be expanded to 20-30 m, and a wastewater and rainwater collection system will be built to improve the environment.
On both banks, a 6m wide road will be formed on each side with two lanes, sidewalks 3-4m wide, connecting with Truong Sa, Dinh Bo Linh, Bach Dang and many adjacent roads, contributing to completing the regional transportation network.
The project also synchronously invests in connection items with Bach Dang, Dinh Bo Linh, Bui Dinh Tuy, Chu Van An and Rach Lang bridges.
About 11 hectares of land along the canal will be used for parks, green spaces, combined with lighting systems and technical infrastructure, aiming to turn Xuyen Tam canal from a "black spot" of pollution into a green space for Ho Chi Minh City.
