Binh Thanh District Hospital, situated at 132 Le Van Duyet Street, operates with a mere 100 inpatient beds, struggling to meet ever-increasing treatment demands. Plans to triple its capacity this year remain stalled due to a lack of space. Ironically, directly opposite lies a prime land plot at 129 Le Van Duyet Street (Ward 3, Binh Thanh District), spanning over 7,200m², which has languished vacant for years.
This site should logically offer a solution to the hospital’s bed deficit. However, reality proves far from simple. Deputy Director Nguyen Trung Kien of Binh Thanh District Hospital revealed that the hospital proactively proposed utilizing this opposite site as a second facility back in 2021. Despite four years passing and numerous discussions, the application still awaits approval.
Investigation indicates this property was formerly the HCMC Cadre Academy’s old campus. Following the academy’s relocation to a new facility on Chu Van An Street (Binh Thanh District), the city transferred its management to the Center for Land Fund Development (under the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment) in 2016.
This plot was previously intended for transfer to an investor as payment for a BT (build-transfer) contract, but in 2020, the city opted not to include it in the BT payment fund. More recently, on April 16, 2025, the HCMC Department of Finance issued a document confirming that 10 related agencies agreed to recommend to the HCMC People’s Committee that the property be assigned to Binh Thanh District Hospital for its second facility.
Nevertheless, transforming the site for hospital use necessitates navigating numerous subsequent steps, including reviewing and adjusting planning, terminating any existing lease contracts, relocating assets, and ensuring the site is handed over in its original condition. This is supposed to take a long time to complete.
In Go Vap District, one of HCMC’s most densely populated areas, the demand for additional school facilities is acutely felt. Yet, a substantial land plot at 780A Nguyen Kiem Street (Ward 3, Go Vap District), covering over 21,200m², has been derelict for many years. Overgrown with weeds and featuring a wrecked workshop, the site remains frustratingly unavailable for conversion to its planned use for schools and public facilities.
This land was previously used as a workshop by Sangor VN Co. Ltd. before being reclaimed by the HCMC People’s Committee in 2012. In 2019, the 780A Nguyen Kiem plot was placed under the temporary management of the Center for Housing Management and Construction Inspection (under the municipal Department of Construction), pending directives from the HCMC People’s Committee.
Vice Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Anh of Go Vap District People’s Committee explained that according to the 1/2000 planning project, the 780A Nguyen Kiem site is designated partly for traffic infrastructure and the remainder for mixed-use, green space/sports, and education land.
The District People’s Committee has proposed that the HCMC People’s Committee assign the portions earmarked for schools, green space/sports parks, and traffic routes to the district for development, but this proposal has not yet been approved.
The issue of delayed school projects due to land retrieval problems extends beyond Go Vap District. In District 12, the story of the proposed Nguyen Anh Thu Secondary School has dragged on for over two decades, remaining “in theory” because the land designated for its construction has yet to be successfully reclaimed. The planned school site, covering nearly 11,000m² at 75/4 Phan Van Hon Street (Tan Thoi Nhat Ward, District 12), is currently managed by the HCMC Ginseng and Medicinal Herb Center.
The HCMC People’s Committee originally decided to reclaim this land for school construction in 2002. More recently, on February 14, 2025, the District 12 Site Clearance and Compensation Board, in coordination with relevant units, attempted to inspect the site’s current state.
However, the HCMC Ginseng and Medicinal Herb Center reportedly did not allow the task force entry to perform their duties. Consequently, relevant agencies and local authorities are currently undertaking steps for the compulsory retrieval of the land.
According to the HCMC Ginseng and Medicinal Herb Center, the Ministry of Health assigned the center the land to maintain and preserve over 300 gene sources of medicinal plants from the Southern region. The center states it has not yet received any directive from the Ministry of Health or the HCMC People’s Committee regarding relocation.
Clearly, a complex web of multiple managing units, protracted procedures, and a lack of decisive, coordinated action has left numerous valuable “golden” land sites lying vacant or underutilized. A critical question remains: should these public land parcels continue to await resolution for potentially many more years while the demand for land for schools and hospitals remains so acute?
In March 2025, the HCMC People’s Committee issued a directive to relevant departments and agencies to bolster oversight and handling of property managed by state-owned enterprises. The HCMC Department of Agriculture and Environment is tasked with reviewing and advising the city on reclaiming land from state-owned enterprises if it is being used for purposes inconsistent with the state’s assignment, lease terms, or recognized land use rights.
