Saigon South New City Center -- 2012 Global Awards for Excellence Winner

June 22, 2012

About Saigon South New City Center

Owner/Developer: Phu My Hung Corporation
Designer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (master planner), Kenzo Tange Associates, Koetter | Kim & Associates, Moh & Associates, Arkitek Ooi, China State Construction Tangshan Architecture Design Co. Ltd., CWC, Design International, HTA + pizzini Architecture, Korn Architects, KTGY Inter-Associates Ltd., KYTA, Nikken Sekkei, NQH Architects, PTW Architects, RTA Associates, Sino-Pacific Construction Consultancy, SURV
Other: Engineering: ACE Advanced Engineering, Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner, China Shanghai Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., CPG, Saigon Riverside Office Center, Indochine, Engineering, JRP International, Macro Technologies Inc., PKP Consultants, REACTEC, Tham & Wong LLP, The Lightbox Pte, Ltd., Infrastructure: E&C Engineering Corporation, Hiep Phuoc Power Company, Nagecco, Sinotech Engineering Consultants, Tan Thuan IPC, TediSouth, Landscape Architecture: AECOM, Le Thanh Co. Ltd., Primeclass Landscaping
Transportation: MVA Asia Ltd., THI International Consultants Inc., Interior Design: Artsy Expressions, Design Worldwide Partnership, Kian, noor, Retail Management: Savills
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Why Saigon South New City Center?

Saigon South New City Center is exceptional among recent Southeast Asia developments. The 433-hectare New City Center is the core area of Saigon South, a redevelopment zone located immediately south of Ho Chi Minh City’s historic center. Saigon South combines comprehensive planning for a sustainable and high quality of life with strategic public-private partnerships that leverage development investment for the greater metropolitan area. The New City Center’s success has validated this strategic approach, with nearly 100% of all for-sale residential units sold, more than 90% of rental units leased, and major global companies contributing to the district’s low commercial office and retail vacancy rate. Shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, and a variety of open spaces complete the New City Center lifestyle, making it a dream community for younger Vietnamese and international business people alike.

The master plan establishes a series of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that form the building blocks of Saigon South’s incremental, market-responsive development. By specifying a range of housing types, commercial uses and landscape strategies—to be implemented by different design teams—the plan works to cultivate distinctive streets and neighborhoods that together engender a meaningful sense of place and identity.

Key civic amenities such as international-standard foreign and Vietnamese schools and a top-tier French hospital anchor these neighborhoods, making Saigon South attractive to families seeking longer-term stability. At the same time, commercial and entertainment throughout the neighborhoods support an active, social lifestyle. Underscoring the importance of these amenities in defining Saigon South’s lifestyle, the district’s prime riverfront land was reserved for public use and is complemented by an extensive network of greenways and parks.

A fine-grain network of streets creates a walkable community and provides convenient connections between Saigon South’s neighborhoods and to the city and region beyond. The new east-west corridor forms the system’s backbone and is designed to accommodate future transit such as light rail service. The development also offers shuttle services to supplement the public transit network.

Recognizing that the health of HCMC’s waterways is critical to the region’s future, the master plan creates an environmental framework that restores and manages the region’s hydrology, water quality, flood system, and shoreline ecology, air quality and urban growth. The canal system was renovated and expanded to control flows of polluted waters, while a gray water recycling network is implemented throughout.