The HCMC People’s Council has approved an outlay of VND687 trillion ($29.8 billion) for spending on transportation, flood prevention, the environment, and hospitals in 2021-25.

An Phu Intersection in Thu Duc City, HCMC, April 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Of this, the government will provide VND14 trillion.

The city plans to undertake 5,664 projects, of which the major ones include the metro lines No.1 (VND2.5 trillion) and No.2 (VND1.2 trillion), upgrade of the An Phu Intersection in Thu Duc City (VND1.8 trillion), the HCMC environmental sanitation project (VND1.9 trillion), renovation of the Tham Luong-Ben Cat-Nuoc Len canal network (VND4 trillion), construction of the HCMC Children’s Hospital (VND432 billion), and widening of National Highway No.50 that runs through Binh Chanh District (VND1.5 trillion).

An Phu Intersection connects Mai Chi Tho Street in District 2 and HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, a major link between the city and neighboring Dong Nai Province.

HCMC, home to 13 million people, has struggled with heavy traffic congestion and severe flooding for decades.

By Huu Cong