Future visions for HCMC’s largest channel

The second phase of the renovation project of the channel, which is slated to cost a total of VND8.2 trillion ($344.6 million), began construction on Feb. 23. It is expected to be completed in 2025.

The channel runs through 7 HCMC districts, spanning nearly 32 km.

The first phase of the project has been completed with dredging and the installation of gates for drainage in certain sections. However, some sections of the channel are now heavily polluted.

One of the main goals of the second phase of the project is the dredging of the entire channel, which is 30-90 m wide and 4-5 m deep. The two sides of the channel have concrete dykes and greenery-adorned walkways.

Currently, strips of weeds run along the two sides of the channel, with several channel sections full of water hyacinths, which impede water traffic.

Along the channel are roads hosting three car lanes. But right now, only some road sections are complete, like the sections in Ward 14, Go Vap District.

After the project, the channel will be home to 12 docks, 19 drainage gates and three bridges.

An illustration of the channel passing section under the Truong Dai Bridge in District 12.

Phan Van Mai, chairman of the HCMC People's Committee, said the renovation of the channel is one of the city’s essential infrastructure projects. Once completed, it will be a vital drainage and anti-flooding channel for the 14,900 ha that surround it. The channel will also increase traffic connectivity along Ho Chi Minh City’s North-South axis.

An illustration of vehicles driving along roads flanking the channel.

Once completed, the project would also help relieve traffic burdens along National Highway 1, thanks to two additional roads. It would also better connect waterway traffic between HCMC and neighboring Long An Province in the Mekong Delta.

An illustration of people walking along the channel and sitting by a dock.

After construction began on Feb. 23, workers and machines were dispatched to the construction site in Go Vap District.

The HCMC Management Board for Urban Infrastructure Investment and Construction Projects, the main investor of the project, said compensations for land clearance, affecting over 3,200 families, have mostly been completed.

The Tham Luong-Ben Cat-Nuoc Len channel is the longest channel in HCMC. The renovation project is part of the official anti-flooding and wastewater-processing plan for the city.