Making news

Breakthroughs along the Saigon River

Throughout its 300 years of formation and development, from the name Saigon, Gia Dinh to Ho Chi Minh City, the region has maintained a deep connection to water, with the Saigon River flowing through its heart. This vital waterway has shaped the city’s history, culture, and economy, featuring prominent locations such as Binh Dong Wharf, Bach Dang Wharf, and Nha Rong Wharf in the city center, alongside a complex network of canals that weave throughout the area.

 

Since the 2000s, Ho Chi Minh City has prioritized enhancing its riverside landscape and urban areas. As part of this initiative, the city has implemented programs to renovate rivers and canals, organized international competitions to seek urban planning ideas, and invited both domestic and foreign experts to conduct various scientific studies on the city's architectural and urban planning.

New urban area along the Saigon River. Photo: Nguyen Thang/VNP
A sunflower field in Thu Duc City’s Park. Photo: Van Trung

 

The city began expanding its development across the river toward Thu Duc, relocating outdated ports from the city center and establishing Thu Duc (part of Ho Chi Minh City) in 2021. Prior to this, in 2012, the city initiated the "great canal revolution," a transformative project aimed at cleaning, beautifying, and modernizing the 9km Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal. The locality also has conducted various activities to upgrade the Saigon River, including constructing embankments, upgrading riverside roads, building modern bridges across the river, developing water buses, planning the architecture of buildings along the riverbanks, and creating parks, green landscapes, and public recreational and cultural areas.

Ho Chi Minh City looks brilliant at night along the Saigon River. Photo: Van Trung

Today, many areas along the Saigon River, such as Bach Dang Park (District 1), Nha Rong Wharf (District 4) and Vinhomes Central Park (Binh Thanh District), have essentially transformed into vibrant, modern riverside urban areas that harmoniously blend with the peaceful and refreshing riverside environment.

Ho Chi Minh City looks brilliant at night along the Saigon River. Photo: Van Trung

At a seminar on developing the space and functions along the Saigon River corridor in March 2024, which drew on French experience from the Seine River, Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, highlighted the city's urgent focus on three key plans for its future development. These plans include the Ho Chi Minh City master plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision extending to 2050; a review and adjustment of the general plan for the city until 2040, with a vision for 2060; and the development of a general plan for Thu Duc. Within this framework, the city has identified the Saigon River as central to the new master plan and a highlight of this revision.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture, the proposal for the planning and management of the Saigon River corridor has been largely completed. The Saigon River plan aims to strengthen community connections, link the region, and reach out to the world, with the goal of transforming the riverside of the Saigon River into a cultural destination in Asia by 2030, targeting an annual growth rate of 8% to 8.5%. This proposal also emphasizes leveraging the rich cultural and historical values of the riverine area to guide the city’s future development./.


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