Construction of the 1,500-bed Binh Duong General Hospital started in 2014 on a 16-hectare site.

The project was approved with an investment of more than VND4.5 trillion to provide advanced medical services for residents of erstwhile Binh Duong Province, which was merged into the expanded Ho Chi Minh City in July, and nearby provinces.

The development consists of seven subprojects.

As of September, only two subprojects had been completed, two were under construction and three had not started, Ho Chi Minh City’s health department said.

The agency has urged the project management board to speed up its work so the hospital can open in 2026.

Work at the site has been slow despite the main hospital building being structurally completed, with construction equipment idle and vegetation covering much of the area.

An inspection by the former Binh Duong provincial government in June found that all five main components — including the technical block, morgue, wastewater treatment system, and other infrastructure — were behind schedule and had required several deadline extensions.

The health department said the delays have affected healthcare capacity, as the existing Binh Duong General Hospital continues to operate under overcrowded and outdated conditions.