HCMC school projects delayed by red tape, land disputes

According to Mr. Huynh Cong Luan, Vice Chairman of the Vinh Loc B Commune People's Committee, the site has been zoned by the district for the development of a school complex. The first project, Vinh Loc B Primary School (Zone I), covers nearly 17,900 square meters and affects ten households—six of which face displacement from both homes and land, while four are impacted solely in terms of land use. The second project, Vinh Loc B Secondary School (Zone II), spans over 19,600 square meters and impacts 59 households—48 facing displacement from homes and land, and 11 affected only by land acquisition.

The district had aimed to hand over the cleared site to the project investors in Q1 2025, but the timeline has been pushed back, with hopes of completion by Q3 2025.

In neighboring Vinh Loc A Commune, local authorities are grappling with similar challenges. Mr. Phung Quoc Viet, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Vinh Loc A Commune, noted that the commune’s 13 schools—nine public and four private—currently serve over 22,000 students from preschool through junior high school, leading to chronic overcrowding and limited access to full-day schooling.

To ease this burden, the commune is executing eight publicly funded school construction projects. Of these, Vinh Loc 1 Primary School is expected to open in time for the new academic year. Four additional projects are in the compensation and construction phase, while four more have received boundary demarcations and are undergoing compensation verification.

“To better serve the children of our community, we urge local residents to make personal sacrifices for the greater good and support the district’s land clearance and compensation efforts. Only then can these long-delayed school projects move forward,” Mr. Phung Duc Viet emphasized.

Vacant public land left idle or encroached upon

Ward 14 in Go Vap District, home to nearly 54,000 residents across 15,000 households—the most populous in the district—remains severely underserved in terms of educational infrastructure, with only one preschool, two primary schools, and one junior high school. In the 2025–2026 academic year, the ward is expected to receive about 1,600 new students and must also accommodate pupils from Ward 9 and part of Ward 12, inevitably leading to overcrowding.

The ward has long been allocated land for educational development. Since 2010, two plots have been designated for school construction—a 0.6-hectare site for a primary school with an estimated investment of VND108 billion, and a 1-hectare site for a junior high school with an investment of VND185 billion. Both are classified as “clean land,” managed by the city and free from compensation or site clearance issues.

However, progress has stalled due to slow administrative procedures in converting land-use purposes, which require consultation with multiple departments. The projects remain at the design stage, pending evaluation by the HCMC Department of Construction.

In Ward 6, Go Vap District, over 22,000 square meters of land within the Go Vap Cultural Park has been zoned for two new schools: Ward 6 Junior High School with an investment of VND160 billion and the new Go Vap High School with an investment of VND170 billion. Despite official approval under Decisions No.1489/QD-SXD-TDDA and No.1487/QD-SXD-TDDA dated December 30, 2024, land clearance has been obstructed by two households who have encroached on the public land and cultivated crops there for over a decade.

In District 12, a new high school—Dong Hung Thuan High School—is planned for a 5.8-hectare site at the former Quan Tre Broadcasting Station. The project includes 45 classrooms and all necessary functional facilities. However, the managing unit has yet to hand over the land, even as the district faces a severe shortage of high school classrooms.

Mr. Ho Minh Hoang, Chief of Office of the People’s Committee of District 12, said that beyond this site, District 12 has also proposed that the HCMC People’s Committee reclaim 11 additional land plots—spanning several dozen hectares—currently held by State-owned enterprises and public service units. These properties are either vacant, unused, or have exceeded their lease terms, and the district aims to repurpose them for school construction.

Mr. Le Hong Phuong, Head of the Land Clearance and Compensation Board in Binh Tan District, noted that numerous public land plots remain either vacant or misused, including properties at No.558, No.352, and No.507 Kinh Duong Vuong Street and No.529 An Duong Vuong Street. The district has repeatedly proposed reclaiming these areas for school construction. While the city has agreed in principle and tasked relevant departments with resolving the obstacles, implementation has been sluggish and lacks urgency.