A workshop discussing the planning of Sai Gon River corridor development was organized several days ago with the participation of experts, architects and urban managers. Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper Le Xuan Trung said Sai Gon River is a treasure and it needs to be used properly for the sake of HCM City and the country. 

Speaking at the workshop, Director of the HCM City Department of Planning and Architecture, said: “During the development process, we did not treat the river as expected. The municipal authorities now pay higher attention to the development of Sai Gon River landscape as a new pillar of the city development.” 

The city’s leaders realized this two years ago and assigned his department to draw up a plan on developing Sai Gon River. The agency has been taking methodical steps from new ideas to projects to planning. 

It has proposed reviewing and planning the Sai Gon River section from Cu Chi to Mui Den Do (Can Gio district) to discover which plans are unreasonable so as to figure out solutions. 

In areas that have not been developed, planning will be made there, while in areas which have been developed, regulations will be set for management. The planning needs to be implemented in a way which doesn’t create river encroachment, and with attention to conservation of the Sai Gon River culture.  

The city will develop a new plan to promote the strengths and potential of the Sai Gon River. From now on, Sai Gon River will be considered the ‘facade’ of the city. In planning, it’s necessary to develop public spaces to serve people.  

“The local authorities will eliminate projects that are not community-oriented along the Saigon River,” Nha said. 

At the same time, the city will create resources and policies for businesses and the community to participate in the development of Sai Gon River in line with the city’s spatial development.

According to Nha, the river development planning needs to follow an approach which allows the participation of the community. The planning needs to strive for the stabilization of people’s lives, with people’s enjoyment a top priority. There will be areas where people have to move to make way for project development. However, if the city has reasonable policies on compensation for site clearance, people will support the projects. 

Dr Nguyen Minh Hoa warned about the risks, or even danger for the future if the Sai Gon river is not treated properly now. 

The river is winding, not straight,, creating a so called ‘camel’s humps’, such as Thanh Da peninsula and Thu Thiem. If improperly planning the river, the ‘humps’ will erode, and the value of the river will disappear. 

HCM City needs to find a development model that fits the conditions of the river to maintain the river heritage for following generations and not distort the river for economic purposes.

Architect Ho Viet Vinh said that the city is turning its back to the river, though the river brings life.

“We are treating the river in a way that is disproportionate to its value," he said. 

The Sai Gon River is the main layout of HCM City with Cu Chi forests in the north and Sac forests in the south. The forests serve as the lungs that balance the ecosystem and form a sustainable structure for a long time.  

“If we don’t change the way we behave towards to the river, we will see consequences in the next quarter century,” he said. 

Steven Townsend from B+H Architects said that from time immemorial, the development of mankind has always been associated with water sources and rivers. The development of rivers and canals is also associated with human civilization. 

He said rivers are the symbols of cultural conservation, and dreams for a foundation for the future. Sai Gon River has many values that can be exploited, especially in the development of river embankments and a service economy.

Ho Van