The six locations earmarked for park development in Ho Chi Minh City are vacant lands, landfills, and vegetable gardens in Thu Duc City and districts of Cu Chi, 12, Binh Tan, and Binh Thanh.
One such park is already taking shape (pictured) along the Saigon riverbank on the side of Thu Duc City across District 1's Bach Dang Wharf Park.
By the end of Dec. 2023, a section along the Saigon River, stretching from Ba Son Bridge to the Saigon River Tunnel, was inaugurated with an investment of VND90 billion (US$3.64 million) from a private investor.
Work is still ongoing, as shown in this photo taken on Jan. 24.
Slated for completion ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which peaks on Feb. 10, this park boasts a variety of attractions, including a sunflower field, community spaces, boat docks, floating aquatic gardens, rock gardens, and an ecological park.
Lying nearby is a 128-hectare ecological forest within the new Thu Thiem Urban Area of Thu Duc.
The place primarily serves as an environmental protection zone, preserving the natural ecosystem. Most of this area, situated beside the Saigon River, remains untouched.
The largest proposed park is the Saigon Safari Park in Cu Chi District, spanning 485 hectares and lying over 50 km from HCMC's center.
Launched in 2004 with a $500-million investment, this project, featuring semi-wild animal habitats, remains incomplete due to compliance issues and the search for new investors.
The Thanh Xuan Park in District 12, covering 150 hectares across Thanh Xuan and Thoi Anwards, was designated as a park in 2009 and it was not until 2019 that a plan was approved to develop it into a multifunctional park for recreation and water management.
Thus far, the work has not started and locals nearby have taken advantage of the space to grow vegetables.
The Go Cat Park in Binh Tan District, covering 13 hectares, is a former landfill that has stayed inactive for over a decade.
Most of the landfill has been covered under the soil and wild grass.
The smallest of all proposed parks is a 3.8-hectare one in Binh Thanh District.
It lies by a canal and remains a vacant land for now.
The only item that has been completed at this park-to-be is a concrete road.
Ho Chi Minh City has about 400 parks, including public parks and those within residential areas, with over 235,000 trees.
The city's total planned area for greenery is over 11,400 hectares, equivalent to 7 sq.m per person, but the actual space is significantly lower, at about 500 hectares.
With a population of around 10 million, the per capita green space in the city stays at only 0.55 sq.m.
The city aims to increase public parkland by 150 hectares by 2025, requiring the implementation of at least 54 projects with an estimated investment of over VND9 trillion.
However, as of now, only eight projects have been either completed or are being proposed for investment procedures.
