Residents of Ho Chi Minh City will be relocated to make way for a riverside eco-urban area along the Saigon River.

Binh Quoi – Thanh Da: Over 16,000 Residents to Be Relocated for Long-Stalled Mega Urban Project

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has officially issued a decision to adjust the 1/2000-scale zoning plan for the Binh Quoi – Thanh Da New Urban Area in Binh Quoi Ward (formerly Ward 28, Binh Thanh District), marking a new step forward for a project that has been on hold for more than three decades.

Scale and Scope

Under the latest plan, the project covers a total area of 549.4 hectares, including 423.61 hectares of land (measured to the high bank of the Saigon River) and 125.79 hectares of water surface. The entire population of the former Ward 28 — approximately over 16,000 people — will have to be relocated to clear the site.

Resettlement housing will be concentrated in Residential Unit No. 1, located near the existing Binh Quoi main road. Specific parameters on housing size and types will be determined during the detailed planning stage, based on agreements with residents and tied to the project’s implementation timeline.

Resettlement and Social Housing Policy

Resettlement arrangements will be diverse in form, integrated with both social and technical infrastructure to ensure favorable living conditions. For social housing, the city plans to allocate 20% of total residential land (excluding existing residential areas and resettlement land) for construction, prioritizing Residential Unit No. 1. If land here is insufficient, additional locations will be studied in Residential Unit No. 2.

Planned apartment sizes will range from 25 m² to a maximum of 70 m²; any increase to the maximum size may not exceed 10%, and units larger than 70 m² must account for no more than 10% of the total.

Implementation Timeline

The Binh Quoi Ward People’s Committee, together with consulting units, will conduct surveys and prepare current-status maps, ensuring the accuracy of data and drawings. Within 15 days of approval, the ward must publicly announce the adjusted zoning plan.

By September 15, 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City government will report and seek opinions from the Standing Committees of both the City People’s Committee and the City Party Committee, before submitting the project’s investment policy for approval in October 2025.

Development Orientation

Binh Quoi – Thanh Da is envisioned as an urban center combined with a wetland park, developed under a modern tourism-oriented urban model, with reduced building density, expanded parks, and preserved natural wetland landscapes. The area will include high-rise buildings, residential zones, offices, hotels, commercial centers, administrative facilities, and riverside tourism services.

Located about 6.5 km from downtown Ho Chi Minh City, the Binh Quoi – Thanh Da Peninsula is surrounded by the Saigon River and Thanh Da Canal, boasting rare natural scenery and one of the last large undeveloped land reserves near the city center.

Over Three Decades of Inaction

The project was first approved in 1992, with an estimated total investment of VND 30 trillion, but has since stalled due to difficulties in land clearance and funding. Multiple changes in investors have failed to push it forward, making it one of the longest-standing “on-hold” projects in Ho Chi Minh City.

This latest planning adjustment is expected to remove long-standing bottlenecks and move the project toward actual construction. However, the biggest challenge remains the relocation of over 16,000 residents — ensuring their rights are protected while accelerating progress — or the city risks another decade of waiting.