Slow progress on Ho Chi Minh City car parks

Though construction of two out of four parking lots began four years ago, progress is slow.

Construction of the USD 110M five-storey parking lot planned to be built under Le Van Tam Park in District 1, which is designed to accommodate 2,000 motorbikes, 1,250 cars, and 28 buses or trucks, has ground to a halt.

The Investment Development for Underground Space Corporation (IUS), investor of the project, explains that lengthy procedures and paperwork have prevented the project from being completed.

The company has spent months meeting with officials, completing procedures related to preserving and relocating trees in the park, and negotiating links with the metro station near Le Van Tam Park and others.

Le Tuan, general director of IUS told 'Nguoi Lao Dong' newspaper that the company has had difficulties in obtaining a construction license due to the unnecessary complications of the procedure.

Nine years after the prime minister approved the parking lot, Tuan is still not confident about his company's project.

Similarly, another underground parking lot near Tao Dan Park, invested in by Indochina Group, has also ground to a halt due to issues in the design and bureaucratic procedures.

Another underground parking lot under Trong Dong Theatre has plans for eight stories underground and three stories above the ground. However, according to the Ministry of Construction's regulations, underground structures are not allowed to be built over five stories.

The HCM City's Department of Construction requested Indochina Group to get a second opinion and permission from the city's Department of Zoning and Architecture.

The parking lots were long ago approved by HCM City authorities to meet the increasing demand for parking in the city, but the projects have not executed due to petty procedural issues.

Since 2005, the city has zoned eight locations for building parking lots, including Lam Son Square, Chi Lang Park, Bach Tung Diep Park, Le Van Tam Park, Tao Dan Park, Hoa Lu Stadium, areas near 116 Nguyen Du and Sai Gon River's bank.

Later, two out of eight areas were withdrawn from the list. Currently, four underground parking lots in Le Van Tam Park, Trong Dong Theatre, Hoa Lu Stadium, and Tao Dan Park are under construction.

According to estimates from the city's Department of Transport, the four underground parking lots will only meet 20 per cent of the current demand in the city.