Up and away: Ho Chi Minh’s skyscrapers continue to grow

Several skyscrapers under construction will dramatically alter the look of the Ho Chi Minh City skyline as the city’s real estate development continues at a feverish pace.

Headlining the property development boom is the 460-metre-high Vincom Landmark 81 skyscraper, on the banks of the Saigon River. The developer of the mixed-use tower is conglomerate Vingroup. Atkins is the lead architect working in collaboration with Arup on the structural design.

On its scheduled completion in 2017, Vincom Landmark 81 will be the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh City. The building’s design has won the “Best Residential High-rise Development Vietnam” by the Asia-Pacific Property Awards 2016. The tower’s architectural design highlights the city’s diversity and vibrancy. It rises from a square footprint with 25 slender sections of various heights. Shorter elements topped with roof gardens surround the taller parts of the glass-clad structure in the centre. The contemporary landscape design merges the surrounding natural beauty into the building.

Situated in the prized Vinhomes Central Park, the 81-storey tower is well-connected by the city’s main thoroughfares and water transport network. With a total floor area of 241,000 square metres, the tower will feature hotel, serviced apartments and luxury retail spaces at the base.

Atkins’ scope covers architecture and landscape designs. Bertil de Kleynen, director of architecture and landscape for Atkins in Asia-Pacific, says the challenge is to create a dynamic landmark tower design to support Vingroup’s vision for a high-end mixed-use project.

“The tower is integrated into the public realm that addresses sustainable design challenges at various interfaces.”

Another skyscraper taking shape is the 86-storey Empire City Tower, jointly developed by JSC Property Tien Phuoc,Tran Thai Properties and Denver Power (Britain). Empire City Tower is a mixed-use project that will feature apartments, a five-star hotel, offices, a shopping mall and underground parking facilities. Construction is expected to finish in 2022.

The tower is the centrepiece of one of the phases of the highly ambitious Empire City real estate development. Occupying a 14.5-hectare area, the project is situated next to the mouth of the Thu Thiem tunnel running below the Saigon River. The four-phase development will include several large-scale infrastructure projects. The total cost

of Empire City is projected to be around US$1.2 billion. The Thu Thiem peninsula in the Saigon River delta is being built in sections by different developers that include a US$2 billion eco-smart city, the Thu Thiem Financial Center, the Dai Quang Minh eco-complex and a US$87 million, 28-hectare park.

Among the new residential developments is the Vinhomes Central Park developed by Vingroup. Vinhomes Central Park is a 43.9-hectare residential project comprising high-rise apartment blocks and villas surrounded by greenery. The prime location next to Ho Chi Minh City’s urban hub benefits from a convenient transport network incorporating roads, rail and water. Vinhomes Central Park’s location means residents can easily reach the most important areas elsewhere in the city: two minutes to Metro Line No. 1 Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien; four minutes to downtown District 1 and three minutes to the new Thu Thiem urban area.

Vinhomes Central Park will feature around 70 villas and apartment blocks with units of up to four bedrooms. The developer says the building density of the residential areas will be about 16 per cent of the total area. Most of the remaining area has been designated green with amenities for residents. The project includes a 40,000-square-metre shopping arcade, which will be housed in the Vincom Center. A hospital and a school will also be built.