A number of ports and a shipyard in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam may be converted into high-rise property projects, according to media reports citing Hoang Xuan Thu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City planning information center.
Earmarked for conversion are Tan Cang, Khanh Hoi, Nha Rong, Ben Nghe, Vegeport, and Tan Thuan Dong ports, as well as the Ba Son shipyard.
The 72-hectare Tan Cang Port, the only port to have completely moved to Cat Lai and Cai Mep area, may be transformed into an international marine trade promotion center, the reports said.
The site is expected to hold an international exhibition center, office buildings, luxury hotels, high-end apartment blocks, and a high-rise cargo distribution center, said Ngo Minh Thuan, vice general director of Tan Cang port.
Meanwhile, there are plans to convert the 30-hectare Ba Son shipyard into the Saigon-Ba Son complex, complete with a high-story financial center, office buildings, hotels, and a historical area. The Ministry of Defence, which owns the Ba Son shipyard, said it would auction the shipyard.
The Saigon Port may either auction the Khanh Hoi and Nha Rong ports or choose private investors to develop the sites.
Nguyen Ngoc Toi, a representative of the Saigon Port, said that, based on the city’s master plan, the 50-hectare site will be divided into five property projects—a Nha Rong wharf, two commercial centers, a hotel and restaurant area, a residential area along the Saigon River, and a tourism port.
Vegeport has petitioned the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to be allowed to convert its vegetable-and-fruit port into an office, shopping mall and restaurant complex. The Tan Thuan Dong and the 32-hectare Ben Nghe ports will also be sites for commercial complexes and riverside parks.
Thu said that it will take a long time for these plans to become a reality as the city’s master plan is still incomplete. But Thu added that some buildings along the Saigon River’s western bank could be as high as 200 meters.
Photo courtesy of Nha Rong Khanh Hoi Port
