The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture has submitted a plan to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to implement a project on reorganizing, relocating, and expanding universities, colleges, vocational training institutions, and healthcare facilities out of the inner-city area in an appropriate phased roadmap.
The initiative aims to ensure synchronization with the city’s overall master development plan.
According to the submission, the proposal has been developed in the context of Ho Chi Minh City facing rapid urbanization pressures, leading to overload on social infrastructure, particularly in the education and healthcare sectors.
Many existing facilities located in the inner city have deteriorated and are constrained by limited land availability, making it difficult to expand operations and improve service quality. Therefore, studying the reorganization of the network and gradually relocating facilities that are no longer suitable to areas outside the city center is considered an urgent requirement.
The objectives of the proposal are not only to reduce the burden on the inner-city area but also to improve the quality of education and medical services while developing a modern and synchronized infrastructure system. Alongside relocation efforts, the city also plans to retain and upgrade facilities of strategic value that meet development requirements and align with urban planning.
The scope of the study covers the entire Ho Chi Minh City area, with a particular focus on proposing specific solutions for the inner-city zone. The entities under consideration include educational institutions such as universities, colleges, vocational schools, and research institutes, as well as healthcare facilities such as hospitals and urban-level medical and treatment centers.
The contents of the proposal include reviewing the current status, assessing development needs, establishing criteria for classifying facilities to be retained or relocated, and proposing plans for the use of land after relocation. In particular, the city will develop a phased implementation roadmap, accompanied by mechanisms and policies to create momentum for execution.
The Department of Planning and Architecture serves as the lead agency, coordinating with relevant departments and agencies such as the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Health, the Department of Construction, and the Department of Finance to collect data, formulate, and finalize the proposal. Specialized units will, in turn, propose classification criteria, development orientations, and appropriate relocation roadmaps tailored to each sector.
The development of the proposal will be carried out in parallel and in coordination with the process of formulating Ho Chi Minh City’s overall master planning, ensuring consistency and feasibility in implementation. The city also encourages the mobilization of social resources in addition to the state budget to implement the proposal.
According to the Department of Planning and Architecture, the relocation process must be conducted cautiously, with a clear phased roadmap, ensuring a balance of interests among stakeholders, while also being closely linked to the efficient post-relocation land-use planning. In addition, references to international experience and consultation with experts will be emphasized in order to improve the quality of the proposal.
It is expected that once the proposal is approved and implemented, Ho Chi Minh City’s network of education and healthcare facilities will be reorganized in a more modern and spatially balanced manner. This will help ease pressure on the city’s central areas, while also creating momentum for the development of new urban zones and improving the quality of life for residents.
