Expectation of reviving Binh Quoi peninsula - Thanh Da
The idea of planning Binh Quoi - Thanh Da peninsula was put forward from the early 1990s. In 1992, Ho Chi Minh City oriented this place into an eco-tourism urban area of more than 400ha in the middle of the Saigon River, hoping to become the city's "green lung".
However, for more than 30 years, the project has changed planning many times, investors came and then withdrew, causing continuous unfinished implementation, and people have to wait for many launches and then stagnation.
Binh Quoi - Thanh Da Peninsula has a special location when three sides border the Saigon River, only a few kilometers from the city center.
Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee approved the investment policy and investor of the Binh Quoi - Thanh Da New Urban Area project, with a total capital of about 98.710 billion VND.
This information makes many local people excited after many years of waiting. Mr. Nguyen Van Long (60 years old, Binh Quoi ward) said: We just hope the project will be implemented soon. If it is cleared, it is also necessary to provide adequate compensation so that people can stabilize their lives.
Another "suspended" project for many years is also being cleared, which is the International University Urban Area. The project was granted an investment certificate in 2008 with a total capital of about 56,000 billion VND, but then had to be "covered with tarpaulins".
In early 2025, the Government issued Decision 80/QD-TTg adjusting the investment policy, raising the total capital to 59,000 billion VND, creating a legal corridor for the project to restart.
Recently, the International University Urban Area project with an area of nearly 880ha has been approved by Xuan Thoi Son Commune People's Committee for zoning planning at a scale of 1/2000 and is expected to start construction on April 30th.
According to the orientation, the urban area will develop according to a comprehensive urban model associated with training, research and innovation. Expected scale is about 135,000 residents and 60,000 students...
Trapped" areas in the center
While many large projects are being restarted, in the bustling center of Ho Chi Minh City, there are still cramped, degraded residential areas, "stuck" in a prolonged planning loop.
Ma Lang area, also known as Nguyen Cu Trinh quadrilateral, is located between Nguyen Trai - Cong Quynh - Tran Dinh Xu - Nguyen Cu Trinh streets. Before 1975, this place was a cemetery, then relocated and a residential area was formed.
Currently, the area has more than 530 houses with an area of less than 20m2, mostly cramped and degraded. Since 2000, Ho Chi Minh City has had a policy to renovate this 6.8ha area, but the project has changed investors many times, but has not yet been implemented. By 2023, the city had revoked the project.
Meanwhile, the Chicken Market - Rice Market located between Nguyen Thai Hoc - Vo Van Kiet - Yersin routes is also a traditional market that existed before 1975 but has deteriorated.
The land area of more than 6,300m2 is planned to build a maximum height of 50m (10 - 14 floors), however, for many years, this area has not attracted investors to implement the project.
Determined to remove the "blood clot
At voter meetings before the 16th National Assembly election, Politburo Member, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang said that the city is conducting a comprehensive review of suspended plans and suspended projects in the area.
On that basis, functional agencies will focus on removing legal obstacles, planning and resources to accelerate the implementation progress.
The city will try to definitively resolve prolonged backlogs, thereby stabilizing people's lives and effectively exploiting land resources for development" - Mr. Tran Luu Quang emphasized.
Regarding the Ma Lang area and the Chicken Market - Rice Market area, the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee said that it is currently necessary to recalculate the planning reasonably, harmoniously between people's rights and investment efficiency, and at the same time avoid creating more pressure on the already overloaded transport infrastructure.
Mr. Tran Luu Quang also noted that if construction is allowed to be too high while infrastructure does not meet the requirements, great traffic pressure will arise. Therefore, all planning options need to be carefully calculated.
Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc informed that in the past time, city leaders have paid special attention to handling prolonged backlog projects, including "suspended" projects for more than 20 years.
These are the "bloody troughs" of the city, which need to be handled to unlock resources and promote economic development" - Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc said.
According to statistics, in 2025, Ho Chi Minh City has about 838 backlog projects. With the determination of the government, more than 700 projects have been resolved or have orientations for removal.
