The land plot at No. 8 Vo Van Tan Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, designated as the site for the Phan Dinh Phung Indoor Stadium project. Spanning 14,400 sq.m, it has four frontages on Pasteur, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, and Vo Van Tan streets.
Originally scheduled to be operational by 2028, the site remains vacant after a series of delays.
Under a recently approved plan, the investment model for the stadium has been amended from build-transfer to public investment, and the estimated cost is VND1.85 trillion ($70.43 million). Construction is now slated to begin in 2027 and completion by 2029.
A kilometer away a 9,000-square-meter plot at 135 Nguyen Hue Street, part of the former Thuong Xa Tax (Tax Trade Center) project, lies between three major roads -- Nguyen Hue, Le Loi, and Pasteur.
The 130-year-old structure was demolished in 2016 to make way for a shopping mall connected to Metro Line 1, but construction has yet to begin due to legal issues. The site remains an empty lot that is often used for cultural events.
A nearby block bounded by Le Thanh Ton, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Nguyen Trung Truc, and Le Loi streets, the SJC Building project, formerly ITC, covering nearly 4,000 sq.m, has been fenced off and left unused for years, and is overgrown with weeds.
Two land plots with a combined area of nearly 6,300 sq.m at 33 Nguyen Du Street and 34, 36, 42 Chu Manh Trinh Street, previously managed by state-owned Southern Food Cooperation (Vinafood 2), were repossessed by city authorities following violations. They have remained vacant since 2022.
The abandoned plots are covered in weeds.
According to the city Department of Agriculture and Environment, these sites are in prime locations with large areas but remain fenced off pending projects due to legal obstacles, planning adjustments or changes in investors. Some locations are partially leased for temporary use.
The land plot at 8-12 Le Duan Street, with four frontages near Notre Dame Cathedral, located opposite the Sai Gon Ward People’s Committee headquarters and next door to Diamond Plaza, has been unused for years except as a parking lot. This super-prime location has not been developed due to officials’ crimes like transfer of public lands to private hands.
In the former District 5, 152 Tran Phu Street, Cho Quan Ward, a plot of nearly 31,000 sq.m is surrounded by six roads: Tran Phu, Le Hong Phong, Hung Vuong, Nguyen Chi Thanh, Huynh Man Dat, and Tran Nhan Ton.
But it is overrun by vegetation and its exteriors are enclosed by corrugated metal fencing that is 5m high. In 2009 this land was allocated to the Vietnam National Tobacco Corporation for the construction of an office tower, shopping center and luxury apartments, but the project was halted due to violations.
Two plots at 87 Cong Quynh Street and 74 Ho Hao Hon Street, about 300 m apart, remain unused. Both were earmarked for mixed-use high-rise buildings, with foundations and reinforced concrete structures partially completed, but work ground to a halt years ago.
87 Cong Quynh Street is used as a parking lot amid a cluster of high-rises in a bustling urban area 200 meters from Bui Vien Street.
