Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, "green lung" and one of the most beautiful canals in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, not only has a landscape beauty but also witnessed a strong change in urban planning. Starting from July 1, 2025, this historical canal flows through three newly merged wards, carrying meaningful names: Saigon ward, Nhieu Loc ward and Gia Dinh ward.
Nhieu Loc Ward, the new administrative unit formed from the merger of Wards 9, 11, 12 and 14 of the old District 3. The event marked a major change in the process of streamlining the administrative apparatus, while evoking many emotions in the place where people have long been attached to the land bearing a strong historical imprint on the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal.
Ms. Tran Thi Hoa, 70 years old, a resident who has been attached to this area since she was a child, shared: "I am very happy that my ward has been named Nhieu Loc. Hearing this name immediately reminds me of the canal where my whole family grew up next to, which is both familiar and close.
"Nieu Loc Canal has been associated with many memories of me and my family. From the days he was a child, he came here to swim in the river, until the canal was renovated to be as green and beautiful as it is now, it is like a historical witness. So when I heard the new ward name, Nhieu Loc, I felt very warm-hearted," said Mr. Le Van Tam, 75 years old.
The headquarters of the People's Committee of Nhieu Loc Ward is located at 82 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street. The ward has an area of 1.71 km2, population of 88,090 people.
After the arrangement, Wards 1, 2, 7 and 17 of Binh Thanh District (old) merged into a new administrative unit named Gia Dinh Ward.
The name Gia Dinh is not unfamiliar to the people of Ho Chi Minh City, because this used to be an important historical site in the South. Before 1976, Gia Dinh province was a separate administrative unit, then merged into Ho Chi Minh City and the name "Gia Dinh" was no longer in the administrative system.
The ward's working headquarters after the merger is located at 134 Le Van Duyet (old Binh Thanh District Youth Union). A few hundred meters away is the Public Administration Service Center, also located on the same road.
After the merger, the new Gia Dinh ward will have an area of about 2.76 km2, with a population of nearly 126,000 people.
The new Gia Dinh ward stretches from Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal to the edge of Phan Dang Luu, Le Quang Dinh, Nguyen Van Dau streets.
Along Truong Sa road along the canal, many green areas create an airy space, becoming a familiar sun- distant stop. Every early morning or late afternoon, this route also attracts people to walk, exercise, and enjoy the fresh air in the heart of the city.
Saigon Ward - one of the central wards of Ho Chi Minh City - officially came into operation on the basis of merging the entire natural area and population of Ben Nghe Ward and a part of the natural area and population of Da Kao Ward, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward.
Saigon Ward is located in the historical, political, economic and cultural center of District 1 (old) - where many iconic and heritage-value works are concentrated.
Geographically, Saigon ward has a special location when more than 3/4 of its perimeter is surrounded by canals and rivers: the North borders Thi Nghe canal, the South borders Tau Hu canal.
The birth of these new wards not only marks a change in administrative management but also promises to create more synchronous and modern living and urban development spaces along both sides of the canal, contributing to raising the value and beauty of this iconic canal in the city center.
