After nearly 20 years, the southern part of Ho Chi Minh City has significantly changed, from a wild area of poor economic value to a green space with a series of villas and high-rise buildings. Many big investors have come here to develop public utility services, making Phu My Hung a pleasant place to live and do business.
The Prime Minister’s Decision that ratifies the master plan for South Saigon City Urban Zone clearly states that “In nature, this is a new urban area developed in parallel with existing urban zones and is a constituent of Ho Chi Minh City. This is a mixed-function area: a centre of finance, commerce and service, etc. supports downtown development and serves as a driving force for the south and southeast of HCM City.” According to the investment license, Phu My Hung Joint Venture Co., Ltd was assigned to undertake two main tasks. The first is the building of Nguyen Van Linh Parkway with 17.8 km in length, 120 m in breadth and 10 lanes, including six highway lanes and four mixed lanes. This could be considered the most beautiful trunk road linking HCM City with south-western and south-eastern provinces.
The second is the construction of five functional areas along Nguyen Van Linh Parkway: Area A - the heart of Phu My Hung new urban area, Area B - university town, Area C - high-tech park, Area D - the first merchandised centre, and Area E - the second merchandised centre. Each functional area is invested and developed with different economic and social roles. Particularly, the heart of Phu My Hung New City is divided into eight sub-areas, including International Commercial and Financial District, Crescent Promenade District, Canal District, Hillview District, Southside District, Midtown District, Medical District, Recreational and Cultural District.
Creating a living space suitable to Vietnamese culture, Phu My Hung - through the hand and the minds of staffs and architects, especially its late president Lawrence S. Ting, has formed a new urban area with an open architectural space and closeness to nature. This is a unique and hard-to-find place in an industrial city like Ho Chi Minh City. Moreover, Phu My Hung invested to build more than 40 ha of green space interspersed in the new city.
To meet the demand for recreation, shopping and entertainment of residents, Phu My Hung New City was created as a community centre. If trees grown in parks, along canals and landscaped rivers, and along Nguyen Van Linh Parkway are considered the green lung of HCM City, the Crescent Lake is compared to the heart of this urban area. It is surrounded by modern buildings along the curve of the lake plus the shimmering light of Anh Sao Bridge, a work that creates a beautiful landscape and displays a new lifestyle in a strange architecture featuring friendly and approachable footpaths for people to feel joy, experience relaxation and go shopping, etc.
To achieve this result, apart from investing US$2 million in the South Saigon City design contest, Phu My Hung also studied and applied modern construction science and technology from developed countries like the United States and Japan to strengthen the weak ground below high-rise buildings to create a beautiful, clean and green living space here. Late leader Lawrence S. Ting used to say that “I see Vietnam as my second homeland. I want to come to Vietnam not because of taking something away but because of leaving something.” That standpoint plus strategic vision and determination of a leader created an "East Sea-looking city" which is fully in line with the general development trend advocated by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. More importantly, it helps reduce downtown population density, stimulate economic potentials, and create a new look for Ho Chi Minh City - an economic hub of Vietnam.
Continuing current successes, Phu My Hung will increase investment for landmark buildings like Chateau project - a chain of castles featured modern and classical architectural mixtures, Crescent Residence and Crescent Plaza project - a luxuriant residence and shopping centre for lease. Particularly, Phu My Hung invested US$200 million to build Crescent Mall - a commercial centre and a destination for entertainment.
Minh Tuan
Vietnamese
