A 15-year (until 2025) construction master plan for HCM City will be unveiled at an exhibition next month, Nguyen Huu Tin, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, said on Thursday.
He said that the week-long exhibition will display all information – both overall targets and their details – relating to the plan, which was approved last year by the Prime Minister.

Nguyen Xuan Thu, an official of the municipal Department of Planning and Architecture, said the event will also showcase overall development plans for transportation, water supply and drainage, anti-flooding works, new urban areas and other key projects.

The exhibition aims to collect opinions on the plan from individual citizens, experts and institutions, Thu said.

Under the master plan, the city will have 19 districts - 13 old and 6 new ones established in recent years, namely 2, 7, 9,12, Binh Tan and Tan Phu, and five rural districts.

It envisages the city's population rising to about 10 million with 7.4 million living in urban areas.

The land used for urban constructions will comprise 100,000 hectares including the four new urban areas – Thu Thiem (737 ha), Hiep Phuoc (3,900 ha), Tay Bac (6,000ha) and the Hi-tech zone (872 ha).

The National University will have 200ha in HCM City and 600ha in the Binh Duong Province. A science and technology area will be developed in District 9 and Thu Duc District.

Some new residential areas covering a total of 750ha will be set up in Binh Tan District close to industrial parks.

The city will build several railway lines, monorails (elevated rails), and a special-purpose railway that runs from the national railway stations to the Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc ports.

The city will have 19 bridges over the Dong Nai, Sai Gon, Nha Be, Long Tau and Thi Vai rivers, including one that links Binh Thanh District's Binh Quoi-Thanh Da Ward with Thu Duc District's Hiep Binh Chanh Ward.

Three major new ring roads – 2, 3 and 4, as well as axis routes from HCMC to Bien Hoa, Vung Tau, Moc Bai, Chon Thanh, Long An and Go Cong will also be upgraded to facilitate transportation between the city and neighbouring provinces.

A detailed plan for the city's central area has already been prepared by Japan's Nikken Sekkei Civil Engineering Ltd, according to Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper.

According to the Japanese consultants, the city's existing central area will be divided into five divisions using different development criteria.

The first division will comprise the Sai Gon River's West bank, from the Sai Gon Bridge (a part of District 4 and Binh Thanh District) to the central square of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2, creating a public space for people's entertainment.

The second division will include villa areas mainly in District 3. The third will be a cultural and historical area mainly in District 1.

Two financial and trade centres are planned to be built in the fourth and fifth divisions both in Districts 1 and 4.

The Japanese consultants have also proposed that two streets - Nguyen Hue and Le Loi, are converted into pedestrian-only streets.

In addition to existing roads that connect with the city's central area, downtown HCM City will also be served by metro and cable car systems.

VNS