Townhouses, villas lie abandoned in eastern HCMC urban area

The Housing and Urban Development Corporation began constructing the development, situated 20 kilometers from downtown of Thu Duc City, in 2005 and proposed to make it a modern urban area with mixed-use apartment complexes, shopping facilities, schools, hospitals, and recreational facilities.

But two decades later the 160-hectare development is desolate with few residents and numerous unoccupied townhouses and villas.

The company said the project is conveniently located near the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway and other major roads.

Land there was initially priced at VND65-70 million (US$2,630-2,830) per square meter. Townhouses were listed at VND8-18 billion per unit while villas cost VND20-40 billion.

Many townhouses are complete but remain vacant with no security guards. This photo taken last Wednesday shows their front yards overrun by weeds.

A row of two-story townhouses. A resident said many of the units have been purchased but few have moved in.

The interiors of some houses await further construction but no work has been carried out and they gradually become storage zones or garbage dumps. Moss grows on the walls and floors due to high humidity.

Some houses have shattered windows and damp walls.

An empty street and a yard overrun by weeds viewed from inside one of the unoccupied townhouses.

Real estate firms that used to sell units in this project said the area has not attracted buyers due to the lack of consistency in developing infrastructure and service utilities.

As a result, some parts of the project are well-built, while many areas remain undeveloped.

A representative of one of the firms said: “The selling prices are not cheap, yet the development lacks the necessary utilities for daily life. Meanwhile, those who can afford townhouses or villas here demand a high quality of life."

In the center of the project are some 20 similarly designed villas, each built on a 400-square-meter plot. Real estate agents in the area said unfurnished units are leased out at VND25 million a month while fully fitted ones cost VND50 million.

Garbage bins are left on the premises of a villa.

The villas’ fences are rusted and damaged.

Litter and weeds in the urban area’s park.

Ngoc, who owns a townhouse, said her family used to live in the urban area but had to move away due to its distance from the city center and sparse population.

Previously promised facilities like shopping centers, schools and hospitals were never constructed, she said.

The signboard displaying a map of the Dong Tang Long urban area is damaged. Most of the unoccupied houses in the area have 'For Rent' signs, but rarely attract tenants.