The area between Bến Thành Market and the Saigon Opera House is undeniably the epicenter of changes to the city’s urban fabric with the construction of pedestrian promenades, subway stations, a new administrative center and office towers underway. But downtown Saigon isn’t the only area that may look unrecognizable in 10 years.
Here is the second set of 15 projects in varying phases of development that will change the face of the city forever. You can find Part 1 of this series here.
6) The One Ho Chi Minh City
Address: 19 Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1
Status: Stalled
Estimated completion date: October 2015
According to the developer, Bitexco, this project includes 2 towers – West and East that will stand 55 and 48 stories, respectively and are designed to reflect the Vietnamese myth of the 2 dragons:
“The podium represents the coiled tails, while the two dragons rise from the land. The cantilevered tops represent the dragon's heads. The glass cubes are figurative depictions of Vietnamese pearls in the mouths of the dragons.”
The West tower will contain offices and a Ritz-Carlton hotel while the East tower will house residential apartments.
Though the developer’s website points to a 2015 completion date, little progress has been made on the site and construction seems to be stalled at the moment.
7) The Bến Thành Market Metro Station
Address: Công trường Quách Thị Trang, District 1
Status: In the bidding stage
Estimated completion date: 2015 – 2016 (?)
One of Saigon’s first underground metro stations will be built just across from The One in front of Bến Thành Market.
The station will have a 3 levels that will eventually link 4 metro lines and house retail stores. The design proposal has been approved and bidding for the project was expected to begin at the end of 2014.
Based on the renderings, the station will have a massive footprint stretching from the top of 23/9 Park through the bottom of Lê Lợi Street.
8) The Thủ Thiêm Financial Center
Address: Thủ Thiêm Urban Area, District 2
Status: In the planning stage
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Perhaps the most ambitious project on this list, the Thủ Thiêm Financial Center is the crown jewel of the Thủ Thiêm Urban Area which. The work of British design firm, Foster and Partners, there’s still a long way to go before any of the sleek renderings become a reality.
9) Lavenue Crown
Address: 43 Lê Duẩn, District 1
Status: Site cleared. Construction to begin in late 2015
Estimated completion date: 2017?
The parking lot next to Diamond Plaza will soon be home to the Lavenue Crown, a 36-story building comprised of mixed residential (210-240 units), retail (5,000 sqm) and 5-Star hotel accommodations (210-230 rooms), topped off with a sky-bar lounge and an infinity pool.
Like the Bitexco Tower, the building’s design is based on Vietnam’s national flower, the lotus, “considered one of four graceful plants signifying purity, commitment, optimism and grace.”
The tower was designed by United Kingdom giant design consultant group - Atkins, with support of C&S design consultant - Arup and M&E design consultant - Aurecon.
While the renderings represent a nice alternative to the typical boxy, characterless designs that plague the city, Saigon historian Tim Doling notes that it came at the cost of one of Saigon's oldest buildings which housed the city's main museum. According to Tuoi Tre, an architect convinced the authorities that this building was a fairly recent “faux-colonial” structure and therefore had no real heritage value.
10) Central Park
Address: Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street, Bình Thạnh District
Status: In progress
Estimated completion date: 2017
Between the Saigon and Thủ Thiêm bridges in Bình Thạnh District sits a large plot of land which is currently home to stacks of shipping containers. If things go according to plan, by 2017, a massive, dense urban area will rise from this space, centered around a 81-story tower.
The VND30 trillion project ($1.41 billion), a figure that is nearly the cost of a metro line, is the vision of Vingroup, one of the nation’s leading private corporations and the parent company of Vincom and Vinpearl.
The 43-hectare development will include a complex of luxury villas, apartments, offices, shopping malls and other services, but the highlight of this project is the 81-story Landmark tower which would surpass Hanoi’s Keangnam Tower as the country’s tallest.
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