Two major plans to form HCM City centre alongside Saigon River

They comprise the Thu Thiem new urban area in the eastern bank of the river and a 930-hectare downtown area in the western bank, according to the Department of Planning and Architecture.

The downtown area plan, announced mid 2013, includes many new urban projects under multifunctional Ba Son residential area and Saigon New Port, whose construction has been sped up. Of these, parts of Vinhome residential area and Landmark--the highest tower in Southeast Asia--will be built this year.

Besides high class residential areas, this area will have commercial centers, office buildings, five star hotels and amusement complexes. Construction density will approximate 35 percent and the height of buildings will be descending towards Saigon River. A station of metro route Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien is under construction there while a multifunctional residential area will be built in the area of the existing Saigon Seaport.

Parts of Saigon River ports and Ba Son shipyard will be relocated to the Hiep Phuoc seaport complex in Nha Be district and Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex in the neighboring province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to make room for the residential area.

Cultural and amusement parks will rise up along the western bank stretching from Saigon Bridge to Tan Thuan Bridge.

After many years of construction, the Thu Thiem new urban area has gradually taken shape in the eastern bank with four main roads including an arc avenue, a lakeside road, a Saigon Riverside road and a flyover which construction was started on February 15, 2014 and scheduled to complete in 36 months.

The four projects with a total fund of 12 trillion VND (554 million USD) have a total length of 12km comprising 10 bridges. Besides, the Sa La urban area is being built in the Thu Thiem area.

Initial shapes of new bridges connecting the eastern with western banks have been seen including Thu Thiem 1 and 2 bridges. Previously, the Saigon River Tunnel had opened to traffic.

A new residential area has been planned at the Ha Tien cement plant which will be removed from District 9. Another will be developed near the first metro route’s depot in Suoi Tien cultural park, Thu Duc district.