If only there was a modern stadium at Phu Tho racetrack

trường đua Phú Thọ - Ảnh 1. — View of Phu Tho racetrack area where construction of 5 routes is starting - Photo: PHUONG NHI

On May 27, the People's Committee of District 11 held a groundbreaking ceremony for the project to build infrastructure and traffic routes for the Phu Tho racetrack area. The project has a total investment of 200 billion VND from the city budget and is expected to be completed in 2026. This is a specific step in implementing the 1/2000 zoning plan for the Phu Tho racetrack area, which was approved by the City People's Committee in 2018.

No room for stadium

Phu Tho Racecourse is a long-standing and prominent sports facility of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City. In 2011, according to the decision of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the racecourse officially closed. The large land fund of the racecourse was used to build many housing, school and sports facilities.

But the most lacking thing that Ho Chi Minh City sports does not have: a modern stadium worthy of replacing Thong Nhat Stadium, which has gradually degraded and cannot meet the requirements for hosting major international matches, has not been included in the construction planning here. Meanwhile, a modern stadium for Ho Chi Minh City is planned at Rach Chiec Sports Complex, unfortunately, after more than 30 years, the planning is still suspended due to compensation and site clearance issues.

In that context, Ho Chi Minh City should have flexibly used other land funds to build a new stadium to create momentum for Ho Chi Minh City's sports to take off. And the most practical place is Phu Tho racetrack - where there is a large available land fund. Unfortunately, in the 1/2000 zoning plan, there is no stadium here.

In the project to build infrastructure and traffic routes for Phu Tho racetrack, 5 new internal roads with a total length of more than 2km will be built. The routes are designed with 2-6 lanes, connecting from major roads such as Le Dai Hanh, Lu Gia, Ly Thuong Kiet and Ba Thang Hai to reduce traffic congestion.

This project is the first step for Ho Chi Minh City to continue implementing other key projects here such as Phu Tho Park, square, traditional art center, housing for coaches and athletes, administrative area - sports medicine department, expansion of Nguyen Thi Nho Primary School, construction of a new high school meeting national standards in terms of facilities...

Have to continue waiting for Rach Chiec

Compared to many other provinces and cities, Ho Chi Minh City's sports facilities are both weak and lacking. Especially football, where there is no new modern stadium - the reason why Ho Chi Minh City withdrew from hosting the 31st SEA Games in 2022.

Therefore, how to have many sports facilities, especially new modern stadiums, is a concern of those working in sports in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2018, Rach Chiec Sports Complex was restarted, making the public excited. But then this place continued to "freeze" and it is not known when it will be restarted. Therefore, when witnessing the Phu Tho racetrack being built with many new projects without a stadium, many people could not help but feel regretful.

Former Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City Mai Ba Hung shared: "Previously, the city assigned District 11 to do the 1/2000 planning, they had several ideas. First, Le Dai Hanh and Ly Thuong Kiet streets are often congested. Second, they need a school. Third, they need a park, because District 11 does not have a park. Actually, our sports industry has argued with District 11 for a long time about the need to build a stadium here. But nothing could be resolved."

"It's a pity that there is no modern stadium here. But I think this way, the land is the common land of the State, it does not only serve one industry but also serves the people's lives. District 11 is also for the common good. They want to have schools for students, want to have parks for people to enjoy. The most important thing is when the construction is completed, how to effectively use and maintain the sports facilities here so that they do not have to use the state budget," Mr. Hung added.

Mr. Hung said that the most important thing now is how to solve the problem of building the Rach Chiec Sports Complex to help Ho Chi Minh City's sports develop. He said: "I once told the People's Council and everyone that the most important thing is to compensate and clear the land for the people first. When I was working, the compensation and clearance in Rach Chiec was 6,000 billion VND, after COVID-19 it increased to 18,000 billion VND. And now I don't know how much it will be. If we don't focus on compensation now, the longer we wait, the higher the compensation will be."

Renovation of Phu Tho Stadium

According to a leader of the People's Committee of District 11, the project to build infrastructure and traffic for the Phu Tho racetrack area is being implemented according to the planning approved by the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. In the future, this area will form two new parks, including a 7,000m² park near the circus and a large park - square of about 65,000m² on the frontage of Le Dai Hanh Street. At the same time, a high school will be built. The racetrack area is also planned to have high-performance sports training functions.

Currently, Phu Tho Stadium is being renovated and expanded, while the circus and multi-purpose performance theater are being completed. When completed, this place is expected to become a major center for culture, sports andeducation in Ho Chi Minh City.

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gia-nhu-co-san-van-dong-hien-dai-o-truong-dua-phu-tho-20250530095300983.htm