Ho Chi Minh City to widen key downtown street threefold in $42M makeover

According to a proposal from the Department of Construction, the VND1.073 trillion (US$42 million) project will be added to the city’s 2026–2030 public investment plan, with VND850 billion earmarked for 2026 alone.

The upgrade aims to modernize infrastructure and complement the city's plan to transform the 4.3-hectare Ly Thai To No. 1 area, once home to the famed Chu Hoa family’s colonial villas, into a park and a memorial for Covid-19 victims.

The expansion will require relocating around 115 households and one organization. Of the total investment, VND830 billion will go toward land clearance and compensation, and VND41 billion for new infrastructure. The project will also include adjustments to the 1/2000 zoning plan to create public parks, playgrounds and underground spaces.

Located between Ly Thai To, Hung Vuong and Tran Binh Trong streets, opposite the Cong Hoa intersection, the area has been vacant for years after being managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Under the city’s 2013 master plan, it is earmarked as a mixed-use and public green zone, with future metro connections for Lines No.1 and 3, envisioned as part of a green, cultural and transit-oriented corridor in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.