Thousands of empty apartments stand silent. This is Binh Khanh a resettlement area in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 2. A sprawling complex it was designed to house thousands. Yet today it’s mostly abandoned.
Binh Khanh was part of a larger plan. The Thu Thiem new urban area needed resettlement housing. This project aimed to relocate residents from five central wards. The plan was ambitious. It involved three zones totaling over 80 hectares. Binh Khanh alone received a large portion of these apartments.
The apartments were completed. The expectation was that thousands would live here. Reality proved otherwise. The price was too high. Many could not afford to move. Thirty-seven hundred apartments remain empty. A prime ministerial approval exists. It allows for conversion into commercial buildings. This shows the drastic change of plans. Empty structures stand as a stark monument. They are silent witnesses to an ambitious project gone awry. The ambitious plan to resettle people failed. The scale of Binh Khanh remains. It stands as a symbol of the complexities of urban development. It’s a reminder of the economic realities that shaped the area.
The high cost per square meter was prohibitive. Prices ranged from VND35 million to VND45 million. That is around USD1500 to USD2000. This placed the apartments out of reach for many. The project’s goals clashed with the affordability needs of the intended residents.
Today you see these empty buildings. Deterioration is visible. Some blocks show signs of neglect. Fences surround others. A ghost town sits within Ho Chi Minh City. The silence is broken only by the wind whistling through empty hallways. The vision of a thriving community remains unfulfilled. The story of Binh Khanh is a reminder of the challenges in urban planning. A tale of high hopes and unmet realities. It is a story of planning miscalculations and economic hardship. It is a stark contrast to the vibrant city that surrounds it. The contrast is striking.