On the morning of January 17, residents of District 5 officially welcomed the new look of a section of Hang Bang Canal in the inauguration ceremony organized by the City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board in coordination with the People's Committee of District 5, departments, branches and related units.
The Hang Bang Canal renovation project has brought great joy to people living along both banks of the canal. Ms. Huynh Thi Hong Cam (residing in Ward 13, District 5), a long-time resident of this area, could not hide her emotion when witnessing the "revived" canal.
Ms. Hong shared: “It took several generations to clear the canal for construction. In the past, this place was very busy, with many boats carrying goods coming and going. But over time, both sides encroached, blocking the flow and causing pollution.” Ms. Cam expressed her joy at the change in the canal: “Now that it has been renovated and is clean, I am so happy I can’t speak.”
Sharing the same joy, Ms. Truong Anh Loan (also residing in Ward 13, District 5), who has lived near Hang Bang Canal for 11 years, expressed: "Now I see the canal has changed dramatically, very beautiful, coming here at night I see it is fresher, no longer having to endure the bad smell like before."
Ms. Nguyen Thi Le, Chairwoman of the HCMC People's Council, also expressed her joy that the Hang Bang Canal had been revived after many years of waiting. "Although I don't say it, I believe that everyone today feels warm and meaningful when witnessing this common achievement," Ms. Le said.
According to Ms. Le, the project not only contributes to reducing environmental pollution but also creates a clean, beautiful and spacious landscape, bringing a new look to the area. "I hope that in the future, we will continue to implement the remaining parts of the project, to further improve the infrastructure system, meeting the expectations of the people," Ms. Le said.
Hang Bang Canal, 1.7km long, connecting Tan Hoa - Lo Gom Canal (District 6) to Tau Hu Canal (District 5), used to be an important drainage route but has been silted up and heavily polluted. This canal not only contains waste and dirty water but is also home to hundreds of households in unsafe conditions.
Since 2019, Ho Chi Minh City has implemented many renovation phases, including dredging, embankment, water surface restoration, resettlement, and park construction along both banks. To date, the canal section from Mai Xuan Thuong Street to Van Tuong Canal has been completed, with a length of 750m, construction cost of more than 100 billion VND and compensation and site clearance costs of up to nearly 1,800 billion VND.
Mr. Luong Minh Phuc, Director of the Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (HCMC Traffic Department) shared that the goal of renovating Hang Bang canal is to restore the original canal, returning the green color to the area.
The project not only focuses on increasing green areas and beautifying canal-side roads, but also aims to protect the environment, create community living spaces, and contribute to improving people's quality of life.
According to Mr. Phuc, although not too large in scale, this project has special significance for the area. The Traffic Department, along with contractors and consultants, have made great efforts to complete the project in 6 months, 3 months ahead of schedule. "We consider this a special gift for the people of District 5," Mr. Phuc shared.
The entire canal is expected to be completed by 2028, becoming a "green corridor", symbolizing the revival of the urban environment.
