The reason why Ho Chi Minh City demolished 3 villas in the "golden" land at No. 1 Ly Thai To

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, according to the results of the assessment and classification of villas by the city's villa classification council, 3/7 ancient villas in the land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To (Vuon Lai Ward) have a decline in the quality of the structure, and the overall picture shows that the construction has been severely eroded and corroded.

Land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To, Vuon Lai Ward is being cleared to build a park combined with a memorial for Covid-19 victims.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

Implementing the direction of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in Official Dispatch No. 10837/VP-DT dated November 11, 2025 on drafting a report and requesting opinions from the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee on the investment project to build a public park at land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To, Vuon Lai Ward; accordingly, the Department of Construction is assigned to advise the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to report and request opinions from the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee on the policy to implement the investment project to build a public park at land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To Street, Vuon Lai Ward.

On November 14, the Department of Construction sent a report and proposal to implement the "Investment project to build land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To Street" to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.

Accordingly, land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To, Vuon Lai Ward is a central land plot of the city, with a special location, adjacent to 3 roads (Ly Thai To, Hung Vuong and Tran Binh Trong), adjacent to metro line No. 1 extending from Ben Thanh to An Ha depot, metro line No. 3 in the future (expected to arrange 3 stations adjacent to the land plot); therefore, the early exploitation and use of the land plot is an urgent requirement.

A corner of the villa located in plot number 1 Ly Thai To

Photo: Nhat Thinh

Currently, the proportion of green parks in the inner city area is very low compared to the planning standards; at the same time, park facilities, public spaces, and playgrounds for the community in the central area have not met the requirements of serving the people. Given the above situation, prioritizing land allocation for green development and the formation of public parks in this area is very necessary, in order to contribute to improving the living environment, improving the quality of life of the people and moving towards the goal of sustainable urban development.

Demolition of 3 severely degraded villas

In the report of the Department of Construction, regarding the proposal for the renovation of villa projects, the Department of Construction said: "According to the results of the assessment and classification of villa projects by the city's villa classification council, 7 villa projects at land plot No. 1 Ly Thai To Street belong to group 2.

According to the inspection results, 3 villas (2, 3, 4) have many cracks on the load-bearing structure of the building, the concrete structure is water-permeable, moldy and peeling concrete, the overview shows that the building has been eroded and corroded, causing the quality of the building structure to deteriorate.

The main load-bearing structures of 4 villas (1, 5, 6, 7) do not have any damage that affects the load-bearing capacity of the structures.

From there, the Department of Construction proposed to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to approve the policy of implementing a number of contents, including "demolishing 3 villas (numbers 2, 3, 4) and maintaining 4 villas (1, 5, 6, 7) in the land lot number 1 Ly Thai To". At the same time, the Department of Construction proposed to expand Tran Binh Trong Street (from Ly Thai To Street to Hung Vuong Street) using the city budget with a total cross-section width of 23m.

The land with 7 villas is more than 37,000 ^m2 wide, located in Vuon Lai ward, adjacent to three streets Ly Thai To, Hung Vuong and Tran Binh Trong, opposite Cong Hoa intersection. These villas are solidly built, reinforced concrete, 19th century architecture. Previously, this land was a Government guest house under the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs .

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs found that the house and land at No. 1 Ly Thai To Street is in a prime location but has been vacant for many years. Therefore, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed to hand over the house and land to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee for management and use.

According to the policy of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, this place will be built into a green park, a playground for the community, and a memorial for Covid-19 victims, expected to be completed and put into use before Lunar New Year 2026.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ly-do-tphcm-thao-do-3-biet-thu-trong-khu-dat-vang-so-1-ly-thai-to-185251117162315546.htm