The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just decided to establish a Working Group to implement Resolution 212/NQ-CP of the Government, to remove obstacles and bring the project to solve flooding caused by tides - a project with an investment capital of nearly 10,000 billion VND to the finish line after many years of stagnation.
The working group consists of 9 members, led by Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong - Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, with the task of directing, inspecting, and urging relevant departments and units throughout the implementation process.
The task ranges from negotiating, negotiating with investors, paying BT contracts, reviewing the total investment until the project is completed and put into operation.
In addition to directly resolving arising difficulties, the Working Group will also advise and propose to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Government on issues beyond its authority; at the same time, have the right to summon heads of departments, branches and localities to meet and request the provision of documents and reports when necessary.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee requires members of the Working Group to participate throughout the implementation process, prioritize handling related work, ensure the project is completed on schedule, with quality and investment efficiency.
The nearly VND10,000 billion flood prevention project was started in 2016 under the BT (build - transfer) form, with the goal of controlling flooding caused by high tides for an area of about 570 km2, protecting the lives of 6.5 million people on the right bank of the Saigon River and the central area of Ho Chi Minh City.
Although it has reached more than 90% of the volume, the project has had to temporarily suspend construction since November 2020 due to problems with capital allocation and legal procedures. The prolonged delay has caused large costs, with interest alone being about more than 1.7 billion VND per day.
On July 21, 2025, the Government issued Resolution 212/NQ-CP to remove bottlenecks for Ho Chi Minh City to restart the project, aiming to complete and put it into operation in 2026.
According to the Resolution, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is allowed to adjust the project's Feasibility Study Report and implement payment options using land funds to remove capital obstacles.
Ho Chi Minh City will use three land plots to pay investors, including: Lot C8A - Area A - New Urban Area of Nam Thanh City (large 5,500 m2, old District 7); land plot 762 Binh Quoi (large 4,298 m2, old Binh Thanh District); land plot 232 Do Xuan Hop (large over 17,500 m2, old Thu Duc City).
In case the value of the land fund is lower than the value of the project (after eliminating unreasonable costs), the difference will be paid with public investment capital managed by Ho Chi Minh City.
In addition, the Government also assigned the State Audit to conduct a project audit to serve as a basis for settling construction investment capital, ensuring the harmony of interests between the State and investors, avoiding waste, and putting the project into operation soon.
Recently, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc chaired a meeting with relevant departments and branches to implement this resolution.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc requested that all contents under the responsibility of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, such as project adjustment, contract negotiation, proposal of land fund for BT payment, handover of settlement and audit, must be completed in October 2025.
