The 2.24-kilometer project is expected to help tackle pollution and urban flooding, upgrade infrastructure, and improve the surrounding urban landscape.
On November 9, the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board held a groundbreaking ceremony for Construction Package No. 1, part of the Van Thanh Canal dredging, environmental rehabilitation, and infrastructure development project in Thanh My Tay Ward.
The event was attended by Hoang Nguyen Dinh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, along with representatives of municipal departments, agencies, and local authorities.
According to Nguyen Hoang Anh Dung, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board, Construction Package No. 1 is one of the project's three main construction packages, with an estimated value of VND608 billion. The construction section stretches approximately 410 meters, from Vo Oanh Street to the area near Van Thanh 1 Bridge.
The package includes canal dredging, embankment construction, stormwater drainage systems, roads, technical utility trenches, landscaping, and lighting. Meanwhile, the wastewater collection system will be installed along the entire canal and connected to the Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe basin pumping station.
The construction package is scheduled for implementation during 2026–2028.
The Van Thanh Canal renovation project has a total investment of more than VND8.555 trillion from the municipal budget and comprises two subprojects. Of this amount, more than VND1.743 trillion is allocated to dredging, environmental improvement, and infrastructure development, while more than VND6.812 trillion is earmarked for compensation, assistance, resettlement, and site clearance.
The project covers an area of approximately 237,214 square meters and a canal section stretching about 2.24 kilometers, from Vo Oanh Street to the Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe Canal. It comprises a main section of approximately 1.965 kilometers and a 275-meter branch.
Under the design, the canal bed will be dredged to an elevation of minus 3 meters, with its width ranging from 25 to 80 meters. Embankments will also be constructed along both banks for protection.
The stormwater drainage system will use pipes ranging from 400mm in diameter to box culverts measuring 2m x 2m. In comparison, the wastewater drainage system will comprise pipelines with diameters ranging from 600mm to 2,000mm.
Roads, sidewalks, and parallel routes will be built along the canal, connecting to Dien Bien Phu Street, with road widths ranging from 11 to 20 meters. The project also includes the construction of a new 19-meter-wide Phu An Bridge, as well as the expansion and upgrading of Ngo Tat To Street between Phu An Bridge and Phu My Street. Additional facilities will include parks, green spaces, lighting systems, and technical utility trenches.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Hoang Nguyen Dinh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, emphasized that the project plays an important role in improving the environment, upgrading the urban landscape, and enhancing residents' quality of life.
The project will also contribute to the city's goal of relocating approximately 40,000 households living along canals and waterways with a combined length of about 400 kilometers by 2030.
The program is expected to require total funding of approximately VND400 trillion, equivalent to about one-third of the total medium-term public investment capital for the 2026–2031 period.
To ensure the project stays on schedule, municipal leaders have instructed relevant agencies to coordinate closely and facilitate construction activities for contractors. Contractors have also been urged to mobilize sufficient personnel, materials, machinery, and equipment, organize construction in line with the approved schedule, and ensure work quality and safety.
The entire Van Thanh Canal renovation project is scheduled for completion in 2028. Once operational, it is expected to improve water quality, enhance drainage capacity and reduce flooding, strengthen transport connectivity and technical infrastructure, and give the surrounding area a more modern and orderly urban appearance.
