October, 29/2007
Development Goal:
Thu Thiem new urban area is the new and expanded center of Ho Chi Minh City with main functions of a financial, commercial, high-end services center of the city and region, having world class level; a cultural, recreation center, completing deficient or limited functions in existing city’s center.
Planning and Design Concept
The Master Plan embodies five (5) key concepts to include the following:

1 Connect the district to the river
2.Link Thu Thiem to the historic city center and District 2
3.Balance development with open space
4.Promote density and a compact urban form
5.Insure flexibility and feasibility to accommodate growth and change

Connect the district to the river
Development of Thu Thiem offers an extraordinary opportunity to positively connect the river with the city. The Thu Thiem peninsula enjoys nearly 8.5 kilometers of frontage along the Saigon River.  For years, the river has been the “back door” and edge of the city, used to support commerce and transport. In parts, it is heavily polluted and edged by shipping facilities, warehouses and storage yards. Yet, as Thu Thiem is developed, the river will be transformed as an important visual, transport and environmental asset that will enhance the overall quality of life and urban environment as it flows between the Thu Thiem district and District 1. The perception of the river will change, with the Thu Thiem district along its edge offering a memorable new “postcard” image of the city center. Ho Chi Minh City will be perceived as a riverfront city, a positive and enduring image of a world-class metropolis.

Link Thu Thiem to the historic city center and District 2
Ho Chi Minh City is fortunate to have a rich cultural history and an identifiable historic core upon which to build. District 1 represents the city’s development in the 19th and 20th century. Thu Thiem will represent the 21st century evolution of the city, presenting a continuum of growth and scale. It is imperative to link Thu Thiem visually and physically across the river with the historic city center. In the 1:5000 Master Plan, visual links are created by the careful placement and alignment of riverfront open spaces and roadways. Physical linkages are created by a dramatic new pedestrian bridge that connects Me Linh Square and the Central Plaza, and by improved water ferry access and facilities. Both the historic city center and Thu Thiem will benefit by such a b perceptual and actual linkage, with value accruing to each.
Development to the east of Thu Thiem in District 2, in conjunction with the implementation of the East-West roadway, will be of significance to the future coherence of the area. The 1:5000 Master Plan recommends that the proposed East-West roadway through Thu Thiem become an urban boulevard, distinct from that of a high-speed expressway. Major traffic, and trucks, will travel along the planned regional expressway system rather than go through the Thu Thiem district. A civic/public/institutional neighborhood is proposed along a proposed East-West “Boulevard”. Such a concept provides for a grand “gateway” to Thu Thiem from the east and District 2. The 1: 5000 Master Plan accommodates the integration of Thu Thiem and District 2 by establishing appropriate land use, transport and open space linkages that are mutually reinforcing and cohesive.

Balance development with open space
Thu Thiem will be an urban environment that offers places to live and work, to recreate and refresh the spirit, to live in harmony and in contact with nature. An important concept of the 1: 5000 Master Plan is to integrate the landscape of the delta into the new urban district. The existing landscape qualities form a unique identity, specific to South Vietnam and HCMC. The master plan creates an “urban delta” that incorporates the “wet” conditions of the delta within the urban development, rather than obliterating such a natural condition. Water canals and existing vegetation provide the green open space framework for the urban environment.
The key planning strategies that underlie this balanced approach include the following:

• The Master Plan selectively defines the areas to be filled while keeping "green" those areas below flood level as storm water management assets.

• The Plan selectively reshapes canals, create lakes, and extends a water-based transportation network to and through the district. The reshaping of canals is part of the landfill process.

• Keep soft edges along the water shoreline as ecological corridors, as spaces that absorb tide changes and are allowed to flood.

• The Master Plan provides a diverse range of open spaces that offer green areas for recreation (over 1.00m) and parks (well maintained and man-made) with other open spaces that remain in their natural state or with limited maintenance (below 1.00m).

• The delta open space framework provides the setting for limited development areas. All development sites are in close proximity to green areas, allowing for ease of physical and visual contact between man and nature.

New water features such as the Central Lake offer visual and physical access to water and nature. Within the variety of residential neighborhoods, access to nature is provided in different ways. Many of the residential units located in the north part of the peninsula have direct visual links to the river or Central Lake, while other units are set along a waterway and open space system along the south edge of this neighborhood. All residents are within a 5-minute walk to a water feature; smaller neighborhood open space parks are provided within the residential districts.
Canal edges are carefully considered, utilizing hardened surfaces in some areas to contain the water and mitigate the effects of erosion, and soft natural edges in other areas such as along the Central Lake. The water canal and taxi system has been planned such that the canals are excavated to a sufficient depth to allow for the water-based transport system to function during periods of low tide.

Insure flexibility and feasibility to accommodate growth and change
It is recognized that there are inherent uncertainties associated with the implementation of a project as the scale of the new Thu Thiem district. Inevitably, within a 20-year planning horizon, there will be dynamic social, political and economic forces that may influence the pace and scale of development. The 1:5000 Master Plan concept seeks to anticipate these forces of growth and change by providing a framework of land use, open space and circulation within which development may be accommodated over time. The plan provides a manageable range of development parcels that vary in size, location and uses such that both the pubic and private sector may be engaged in development of the district. Phasing of the master plan is envisioned in 5-year increments, linked to off-site improvements such as port relocations and bridge construction. A mix of uses in each major 5-year development phase allows for a flexible response to changing market-led demands.

The 1:5000 Master Plan illustrates a design that is feasible and attractive from an investment perspective. A fundamental precept is that costs associated with the integration of the site within the city in terms of roadway, bridge and infrastructure linkages are shared on a pro-rata basis with other areas of the city, rather than solely born and absorbed by Thu Thiem.