Ho Chi Minh City begins $675M downtown canal cleanup work

Meant to reduce pollution in the canal and improve urban infrastructure, the work is expected to be finished in three years.

The work includes cleaning the main canal of nearly 6.7 km long from the Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe Canal to the Vam Thuat River and three branches totaling over 2.2 km.

It is fully funded by the city and managed by the HCMC Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board.

Work has started on the 1.3-km section from Luong Ngoc Quyen Street to the Vam Thuat River, where site clearance has been completed.

In Binh Thanh District, it requires land acquisition from 2,077 families and commercial establishments, and authorities are currently processing compensation procedures, and plan to hand over clear lands to contractors before September.

The canal is to be dredged to a depth of 3.5 meters and a width of 20–30 meters, with systems for collecting wastewater and rainwater to be installed.

Roads will be built along both banks, each with two lanes (six meters wide) and sidewalks (3–4 meters wide), parks, green spaces, and lighting.

The work is scheduled for completion in 2028.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Dau An Phuc, director of the HCMC Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board, said people living along the Xuyen Tam Canal have long awaited its renovation due to its severe pollution.

"This is a key urban project for the city, helping reduce pollution, improve the quality of life and reshape the inner-city landscape."

The project was originally intended to be carried out under a public-private partnership through a build-transfer contract, but in 2019 the city Party Committee approved the use of state funds for it.