As congestion in the city remains a major hurdle, the Ministry of National Defense has agreed to hand over several pieces of military land to Ho Chi Minh City authorities, including a plot adjacent to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, starting on October 19.

The ministry told an October 14 meeting that it would support the city’s efforts to alleviate regular traffic jams by handing over land near the airport and at Cat Lai Port in District 2.

Chaired by General Ngo Xuan Lich, Minister of Defense, and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan, a conclusion was reached between the ministry and the city’s administration at the meeting to enhance the attaching of defense and military missions to local development.

Some military bases in the city will also be relocated.

Deputy Minister of Defense Tran Don said it will initiate its assistance by handing over a land plot on Truong Chinh Street, which is adjacent to Tan Son Nhat, on October 19.

Since 2004, the ministry has handed over 177.3 ha of land to the local administration and 98.62 ha to the Ministry of Transport. 

In 2017, about 53 ha of land surrounding Tan Son Nhat was handed over to facilitate socioeconomic growth and cultural development.

More than 8 million personal vehicles are straining Vietnam’s largest city to the limit. According to its Department of Transport, it had only had 1.93 km of road per sq km of land as at the end of 2016, or around one-sixth of what is required under national construction standards, which sets the figure at 10-13.3 km per sq km. 

Ho Chi Minh City currently spares just under 7,500 ha, or 3.58 per cent of its total area, for the development of transport infrastructure, while urban planners put the ideal figure at over 22,300 ha.

Buses and taxis currently meet just 9.3 per cent of the city’s massive commuting needs, while key projects to develop the first bus rapid transit (BRT) and urban railway line have either been completely scrapped or slowed down due to capital allocation issues.

Most of the city’s arterial roads suffer from different degrees of congestion during the morning and afternoon rush hours, with the average speed of motor cars on these streets being measured at just 22 km/h, according to the city’s traffic portal.

A plan announced last year by the city’s People’s Committee to increase the proportion of transport land over construction land to 12.2 per cent by 2020, with public transport meeting 15-20 per cent of commuting needs, is looking increasingly beyond reach.

VN Economic Times