The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee proposed a plan to build a school cluster and a park on the land currently occupied by Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery in Binh Tan District at a total cost of nearly VND1.5 trillion (US$64 million) to the municipal People’s Council at the 10th sitting held by the latter on Monday.

The project, set to be funded by the city’s budget, will be implemented in the 2023-26 period, according to the Ho Chi Minh City administration’s proposal.

The Binh Tan District Construction Investment Project Management Board will be in charge of the project, which will span an area of over 17 hectares. 

Among key components of the project are constructing a middle school cluster, leveling sites, developing traffic infrastructure, installing drainage, lighting and electricity systems, building a promenade, and growing trees, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Situated some 12 kilometers from the heart of the city, Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery was opened before 1975, the milestone when Vietnam was reunified. It was home to some 70,000 graves.

In early 2011, the cemetery was shut for relocation due to concerns over environmental pollution.

The project to build a school cluster and a park is part of the city’s Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery relocation plan.

The 44.5-hectare relocation project was carried out in three phases, starting from 2014.

During the first phase, 13,610 graves were relocated, meeting 88 percent of the target, while the second phase in 2017 saw over 10,830 graves were relocated, reaching more than 64 percent of the target.

Accelerating work on the school and park project on the land of the cemetery is a need, helping improve the living environment for over 300,000 households residing near the site, embellish the cityscape, and address environmental pollution, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Moreover, building a school cluster on the land lot of the cemetery will help the city fulfill its target of offering 700-1,000 classrooms in 2025.

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