Nearly 10 months after the groundbreaking ceremony, Tran Dai Nghia Primary School in Binh Hung Hoa Ward is nearing completion. Built on an area of 8,800m2, the school features a ground floor plus three upper floors with 45 classrooms and full functional rooms, with a total investment of VND156 billion (US$6 million). Construction volume has reached approximately 90 percent, and it’s expected to be put into use by April 30, 2026.
According to Principal Van Minh Tan of Tran Dai Nghia Primary School, there are currently 9 primary schools in the ward, but with a population of nearly 295,000, the demand for school places is always high. Once completed, the new school is expected to accommodate about 1,100 students. Classrooms are built to a standard area of 52m2 for 35 students, ensuring facility standards.
“Every time we pass by the new school under construction, we look forward to its completion day. We will strive to build the school into a truly happy school,” expressed Principal Van Minh Tan.
Site Commander of the Tran Dai Nghia Primary School project Ha Xuan Thien said that due to the tight construction schedule, there were times the unit mobilized about 300 workers along with heavy machinery, working through holidays to ensure progress.
The team of engineers and workers is expected to work until the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month before taking a Tet break, returning to the site on the 6th day of the Lunar New Year to ensure handover by early April.
In addition to Tran Dai Nghia Primary School, the Construction Investment Project Management Board of the Binh Tan area is also implementing the construction of Binh Hung Hoa Junior High School. This project features a ground floor plus four upper floors, with 41 classrooms and functional rooms on an area of 14,700m2, with a total investment of nearly VND160 billion ($6.2 million).
“In 2026, the board will continue to implement 20 other school projects under the 2026-2030 phase approved by the City People’s Committee,” added Deputy Director Nguyen Minh Phong of the Construction Investment Project Management Board of the Binh Tan area.
In many other localities, new school construction projects are also being accelerated. The project to build Vinh Loc B Primary School in Tan Vinh Loc Commune is being constructed on an area of nearly 17,000m2 with 45 classrooms and a total investment of over VND230 billion ($8.9 million). It has completed about 80 percent of the volume. Every day, more than 220 workers work in three shifts to ensure progress, with the school expected to be put into use in the 2026-2027 school year.
According to Dr Tran Khac Huy, Head of the Planning and Finance Division under the HCMC Department of Education and Training, localities have made efforts to build schools and open classes recently.
By the end of 2025, the rate of newly built, repaired, and renovated classrooms had reached about 45 percent (2,565/5,910 rooms), 1,860 of which were newly built and 705 were repaired or renovated. Some localities with high population growth rates are and will continue to implement more school projects to meet the demand for study places.
- Phu Giao Commune will start construction on An Binh Junior High School (investment of over VND67 billion - $2.6 million) and Tran Hung Dao Junior High School (investment of VND54 billion - $2.1 million).
- Phuoc Hoa Commune will start the project to build Phuoc Hoa A Primary School (total investment over VND68 billion - $2.6 million).
- In Thai My Commune, renovation and repair projects for Thai My Kindergarten (VND25 billion - $964,000) and Thai My Primary School (VND30 billion - $1.2 million) are underway.
- An Lac Ward will start the project to renovate and upgrade An Lac High School, with a total investment of nearly VND238 billion ($9.2 million).
The project to renovate and upgrade Block C of Marie Curie High School in Xuan Hoa Ward has also reached 80 percent construction volume, with a total investment of VND42 billion ($1.6 million), invested by the HCMC Civil and Industrial Construction Investment Project Management Board. This work is part of the plan to improve education quality and the learning environment at Marie Curie High School, with a history of over 100 years.
Additionally, the project to repair, renovate, and build Vo Truong Toan High School in Tan Thoi Hiep Ward, with a total investment of over VND175 billion ($6.7 million) from the city budget, has reached 70 percent construction volume.
According to Director Tran Van Sy of the Hoc Mon Construction Investment Project Management Board, welcoming the new spring, many school projects in the four communes of Hoc Mon, Ba Diem, Xuan Thoi Son, and Dong Thanh have been completed and put into use.
These include the project to upgrade and expand Hoc Mon Junior High School with 31 classrooms (total investment VND100 billion - $3.9 million) and the new construction of Phan Cong Hon Junior High School with 22 classrooms and functional rooms (investment VND70 billion - $2.7 million). The works are designed with modern standards, contributing to increasing the rate of students attending school for two sessions per day.
