The People's Committee of An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, is collecting public feedback on adjusting the zoning plan for area one of the 38,4-hectare resettlement project. The proposed changes include increasing the maximum height to 45 above-ground floors and three basement levels. Additionally, the residential land use coefficient would increase from five to six times to 10 times.

According to the agency, the current design of the five apartment blocks, at approximately 25-27 floors, does not align with the height and floor count regulations in other zones or adjacent projects. The existing commercial service and parking floor areas are also insufficient to meet the needs of residents and visitors once the project transitions from resettlement to commercial housing.

"Maintaining the current status for commercial housing business is not feasible and will not attract auction investors," the People's Committee stated in its public consultation document, noting that many investors have also requested a review of the project's planning adjustments.

A cluster of 3,790 apartments across five blocks (R1 to R5) was completed in 2015 but has remained vacant for a decade. These units were part of a program to build 12,500 resettlement apartments for residents displaced by the Thu Thiem new urban area project.

Blocks R2 and R3 in the 38,4-hectare Binh Khanh resettlement project (An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), 2/2026. Photo: Phuong Dong

Ho Chi Minh City has repeatedly attempted to auction all 3,790 apartments simultaneously, but these efforts have been unsuccessful due to the project's large scale, which limits participation to only financially capable investors. Besides the excessively high starting prices, which ranged from 8,800 to 9,900 billion VND across previous auctions, the deteriorating quality and inadequate condition of the project also contributed to its lack of investor interest.

Last year, the city approved converting these apartments from resettlement to commercial housing and dividing them into two groups (R1, R2, R3 and R4, R5) for auction. Both Sunshine and Son Kim Land have previously expressed interest in this transaction.

According to the People's Committee of An Khanh Ward, these apartment blocks are in a central area of Ho Chi Minh City, resulting in high land use value. Local planning adjustments are necessary before proceeding with further auction steps. This aims to "create appeal for investors," maximize land use efficiency, and increase state budget revenue. The adjustments will not alter land use functions, increase population size, or overburden technical infrastructure.

Phuong Dong