Ho Chi Minh City Aims to Complete Compensation for Ma Lang Urban Redevelopment Project by Year-End

Ho Chi Minh City aims to complete land compensation, support, resettlement, and site handover for the Ma Lang and Cho Ga-Gao urban regeneration projects by December 31st of this year. According to a plan recently issued by the City People's Committee, compensation, support, and resettlement plans will be approved by August 24th. Following this, relevant authorities will disburse compensation funds, arrange resettlement sites, and hand over all land before the end of the year. The project, which spans two wards, Ben Thanh and Cau Ong Lanh, requires the city to urge relevant departments, local authorities, and investors to coordinate closely to accelerate land acquisition progress. Land acquisition, compensation, and resettlement must be conducted openly, transparently, and in accordance with regulations. In addition to clearly assigning responsibilities and deadlines for each agency and unit, the City People's Committee has directed these units to proactively propose and advise on the application of special mechanisms and policies when conditions are met, to resolve difficulties and speed up compensation and land acquisition. The Ma Lang and Cho Ga-Gao urban regeneration project received investment policy approval from the City People's Council on June 19th, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with a Build-Transfer (BT) contract. The preliminary total investment capital is estimated to exceed VND 16.369 trillion. According to the plan, the project will be implemented from 2026 to 2029, with construction commencing in the third quarter of this year, completion by the end of 2028, and operation starting in 2029. Compensation and site clearance are expected to begin in August of this year. The project is expected to affect approximately 1,651 households in the two areas. Of these, the Ma Lang area involves about 1,459 households with nearly 4,700 residents, while the Cho Ga-Gao area involves 192 households with 744 residents. Previously, Ho Chi Minh City approved a policy to support residents while they await resettlement sites. Decision 11 stipulates that each household with a maximum of four members will receive VND 8 million per month, with an additional VND 2 million per person per month for the fifth member and beyond, but the total amount will not exceed VND 24 million per household per month. This support will be disbursed from the time residents hand over their land until resettlement sites are allocated, estimated to last 2-3 years during the project's implementation. Upon completion, the project is expected to build nearly 2,300 social housing units for local resettlement, including approximately 1,400 units in the Ma Lang area and 760 units in the Cho Ga-Gao area, along with synchronized school systems, technical infrastructure, and social infrastructure. The Ma Lang area, also known as the Nguyen Cu Trinh quadrilateral, covers 6.8 hectares, bordered by Nguyen Trai, Cong Quynh, Tran Dinh Xu, and Nguyen Cu Trinh streets. The area currently has over 530 houses with an area of less than 20 m2, most of which are dilapidated. Meanwhile, the Cho Ga-Gao area, located between Nguyen Thai Hoc, Vo Van Kiet, and Yersin streets, is a market formed before 1975 but has degraded infrastructure requiring renovation.