Ho Chi Minh City backs Vingroup’s plan to develop 12.5-hectare underground space at Ben Thanh Market

The municipal administration also hinted at developing the underground area in conjunction with enhancing public spaces around the market to improve the city’s urban landscape, boost tourism and the local economy, and ease traffic congestion in the area, according to a recent dispatch conveying the direction from municipal chairman Nguyen Van Duoc.

Earlier, in its proposal to the city, Vingroup noted that the Ben Thanh Market area has been planned for underground infrastructure, including metro stations, transportation systems, and commercial-service facilities.

However, aside from the existing underground space serving the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line, known as the city’s first metro link, the area has yet to see investment in other underground components such as commercial areas, service zones, or parking facilities.

As such, Vingroup proposed developing a 12.5-hectare underground complex beneath Ben Thanh Market.

The project would function as a central metro hub connecting multiple lines, while also integrating commercial and service areas, underground parking, and modern technical infrastructure.

According to Vingroup, the project aims to maximize the use of underground space, reduce surface congestion, and strengthen both transportation and commercial capacities in the city center.

In the same dispatch, chairman Duoc also endorsed a proposal to adjust the starting point of the urban railway line connecting downtown Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio, a former coastal district of the city.

The line, to be developed by VinSpeed High-Speed Rail Investment and Development JSC, a company under Vingroup, will now begin at Ben Thanh Station instead of Tan Thuan Station.

Chairman Duoc directed VinSpeed to promptly complete the necessary documentation and submit it to the city’s appraisal council for approval of the project’s investment policy and investor selection.

The director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance, who also serves as chairman of the appraisal council, was instructed to expedite the evaluation process and submit the results to the People’s Committee for consideration.