HCMC resumes work on $33M convention center after decade-long delay

Work started on the Ho Chi Minh City Planning Exhibition Center by the Saigon River in 2013. The facility across District 1was supposed to be complete and open for business two years later.

The center was heralded as an icon of Thu Thiem New Urban Area in the heart of Thu Duc, HCMC's "city within a city."

But since 2019, construction of the center has stalled at around 80% complete.

Construction was suspended due to a disagreement between the project manager and the contractor. The main reason was that the previous contractor submitted material samples that did not meet the requirements; the technical specifications of the material manufacturer also did not clearly match the project's design.

Previously, the project was managed by the Construction Management Board of the Planning Exhibition Center at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning.

After the project dragged on, it was transferred to the city’s Management Board of Industrial and Civil Engineering Construction and Investment Projects, which operates under the city’s local government at the People's Committee, in February 2022.

In March this year, the contract with the previous contractor was ended.

An artist's impression of the Ho Chi Minh City Exhibition Center in Thu Thiem urban area, Thu Duc City. Photo by DE-SO

The board earlier this week issued a plan to select a new contractor to cover the remaining work left at the project. Among the work items that need to be carried out are production and installation of glass walls, façades, support frames, partitions, railings, ceilings, and metal decorative panels.

The board expects to select a new contractor within the third quarter of this year.

Accounting for a total land area of 18,000 sq.m and costing VND800 billion (US$33.8 million) in public funds from the state budget, the center is supposed to be a venue for showcasing exhibits about HCMC’s architecture and urban planning initiatives. It is also supposed to be a forum at which experts, investors and tourists can all exchange ideas and information.

The center’s location at the Thu Thiem Central Square was intended to make it a "symbol of the area," according to the project’s initial design plans.

Currently, the project completion date has been adjusted to the end of 2025.