Placing flower branches among the floating lanterns, their eyes fixed on the teardrop-shaped memorial with a heart hidden deep inside, people today express their gratitude and share in the painful past, while also conveying their faith in humanity, in the unity and solidarity of the city's people in overcoming all difficulties and harsh challenges.
Mr. Le Chi Hiep (working at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology) said he was deeply moved by the use of a prime piece of land in the city center to build a memorial for those who died from the COVID-19 pandemic, a place to express gratitude, remembrance, and convey a message of mutual support, love, as well as a spirit of overcoming, reviving, and continuing. “This memorial is an expression of the feelings of the Party Committee, the government, and the people of Ho Chi Minh City towards those who lost their lives in COVID-19. As a long-time resident of this place, having experienced the painful days of the pandemic, I am very happy and moved by this gesture from the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City,” Mr. Hiep shared.
According to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Van Duoc, Ly Thai To Park No. 1 is a special project with profound humanitarian significance, a place where people come to remember and cherish. The park carries three messages: rebirth, camaraderie, and looking towards the future. Immediately upon its inauguration on the evening of February 12, 2026, the park truly embodied the spirit of powerful rebirth, instantly becoming a destination for thousands of people, families, and tourists to enjoy the spring festivities in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Horse.
From a public land area with a row of abandoned villas that had been neglected for many years, it has now been transformed into a memorial park and a vibrant spring flower garden in the heart of the city. Ly Thai To Park No. 1 is like a spring gift that the city's residents have welcomed with joy and excitement. "This is a wonderful thing for the city," said Mr. Pham Tan Cong (Nhieu Loc Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), strolling with his wife and two children amidst the vibrant apricot and peach blossom gardens. He shared that opening a memorial park, which is also a new tourist attraction and recreational spot, means to alleviate the pain of the past, to commemorate and remember, and to move forward with strength.
And for the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse 2026, Ho Chi Minh City will have not just one, but nine "Tet gifts" - nine parks and spring flower gardens dedicated to residents and tourists visiting the city during this Tet holiday. These are nine vacant plots of land, abandoned projects that have been left undeveloped for many years, even decades, due to legal issues, which have been renovated and improved to serve as temporary parks and flower gardens for Tet.
Along with the land plot at 1 Ly Thai To Street, there are also the land plot at 8 Vo Van Tan Street, Xuan Hoa Ward (Phan Dinh Phung Stadium project); the land plot at 152 Tran Phu Street, Cho Quan Ward; the quadrilateral area of Le Thanh Ton, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Nguyen Trung Truc, and Le Loi streets (SJC building project); the land plots at 33 Nguyen Du, 34-36 and 42 Chu Manh Trinh Street, Saigon Ward; the land plot at 135 Nguyen Hue Street, Saigon Ward (Tax Department Store project); the land plot at 87 Cong Quynh Street, Cau Ong Lanh Ward; the land plots at 74 Ho Hao Hon Street and 289 Tran Hung Dao Street, Cau Ong Lanh Ward; the land plots at 2-4-6 Hai Ba Trung Street, Saigon Ward; and the land plots at 8-12 Le Duan Street, Saigon Ward.
Nine prime real estate areas are all located in strategic locations in the central, inner-city areas of Ho Chi Minh City. After years of being fenced off, some turned into parking lots, others overgrown with weeds and left neglected in the sun and rain, they have now undergone rapid construction and renovation. In just a few weeks, they have been transformed, donning a new look of green, clean, beautiful spaces, full of vitality and the spirit of spring.
Ms. Thanh Trang (a resident of Hiep Binh ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that every day on her way to work she passes by the Phan Dinh Phung Gymnasium and feels nostalgic seeing the "prime land" left abandoned and overgrown with weeds, remembering the days when it was brightly lit for domestic and international tournaments. Now, Ms. Thanh Trang cannot hide her surprise and great satisfaction with the park's opening, the removal of the barriers, and the neat, tidy, and fresh appearance of the trees and flowers.
The policy of using vacant land and long-standing undeveloped project land as temporary parks and gardens, adopted by the leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and People's Committee, has received strong support from the city's residents. Not only does this prevent the waste of land resources, but it also contributes to urban beautification, provides additional public spaces for residents and tourists, and improves the quality of life for the city's people.
Standing in the corner of the flower garden at 8-12 Le Duan Street, Ms. Do Thi Ngoc Nhu (Phuoc Long Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) expressed her delight that this year the city has added many new tourist attractions, bringing more variety to people's spring celebrations during Tet. She stated that in the minds of the city's residents, there is a strong desire for more open spaces and green areas.
For student Quan Tung (Tan Tao Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), dedicating "prime land" to opening a park is a very interesting and meaningful initiative to create more green spaces and a healthy environment for people to enjoy and experience, improving their quality of life. It also adds a highlight to attract tourists to a developing, friendly, and hospitable Ho Chi Minh City.
Using vacant land and stalled projects to create parks is not just about removing barriers and cleaning up the landscape. Ho Chi Minh City's opening up "prime land" for parks also ignites positive energy, enthusiasm, and a spirit of community responsibility, as the State, businesses, and people share a common vision for the harmonious development of the city in the new era of the nation. These are small steps with great significance for a better life for the people, a vivid practical example of the principle "the people are the foundation"—the highest measure of all decisions and goals, all for the happiness of the people, as emphasized in the documents of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/mo-dat-vang-khoi-long-dan-20260214182934946.htm
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