The plan, which the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has submitted to the municipal People's Council for review, would turn roughly 73.3 hectares of land and water surface along the river into a continuous corridor of parks, cultural venues, and public space running through the heart of the city.
It would be built under a public-private partnership using a build-transfer contract, in which the developer fronts the cost and is repaid by the city. Ben Nha Rong Tourism Services Co., Ltd. has come forward as the proposed investor.
The most striking change would come at Bach Dang Wharf in the central Saigon Ward (formerly District 1), where a section of Ton Duc Thang Street would be routed underground to clear the riverbank.
Beneath it, the city would build an underground car park and shopping center. Above ground, it would widen the embankment, add greenery, and upgrade the boat landings that serve the city's river buses and tourist cruises.
Across the water, the Nha Rong-Khanh Hoi zone would become a riverside cultural park. The headquarters of Saigon Port, one of the country's oldest, would be converted into offices, exhibition halls, and an events venue.
