The municipal Department of Investment and Planning has sent a report to the HCMC People's Council about the implementation results of the public investment law, the efficiency and the progress of public projects using the city budget since 2015.

Accordingly, there have been 678 projects with slow progress, including two projects under suspension, the opera house project in Thu Thiem new urban area and the building of a road connecting Cat Lai Port to Ring Road No.2.

The Management Board for Industrial and Civil Engineering Construction and Investment Projects of HCM City – the investor of Thu Thiem opera house project – said the Covid-19 pandemic had affected HCMC’s economy so the city will have to prioritize social welfare development and stimulate key sectors.

Initially, the Thu Thiem opera house project had a total investment of VND1,508 billion (US$64.5 million), and was expected to start work in 2018 and be completed in 2022 using the city budget from auction money for a land plot at No.23 Le Duan Street in District 1.

After that, the investor proposed increasing the project investment to VND1,988 billion (US$85 million) and adjusting the project implementation progress from 2018 to 2024.

The opera house was designed to have a capacity of 1,700 seats, including an auditorium with 1,200 seats and a smaller space with 500 seats.

Ho Van