Regeneration SaiGon's Port

Abstract

The research tends to build up the concepts and designs for “Regeneration Sai Gon’s Port” project in Vietnam. The project focuses on transformation Sai Gon waterfront when port relocated to near the sea. The case in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, since the city was established in 1698, the port located along the Saigon River and the main canals have been recognized such as the most attractive areas and important parts of urban fabric. Besides, these areas remained a rich cultural that dates back to the history of the city itself. Currently, the development of Ho Chi Minh city demands on the new relations among ports, city and landscape. The outdated port in inner city causes serious problems due to the existing of brown field sites near city centre, which brings a poor quality of city’s images and urban environment. In addition, the city has been disconnected from Saigon River by industrial barriers and lacks waterscapes, although Ho Chi Minh City has rich characteristic and historic potential related to water. The outcome of this project is a strategic plan and urban spatial design of transformed Sai Gon’s waterfront into a distinctive urban area. The question is how to reorganize urban form and spatial of an old port area into a new urban redevelopment in order to regain its waterfront? The waterfront redevelopment of Ho Chi Minh city will be attracted the city rebuild economic, social, spatial structure and cultural growth, expecting to strength their competitive position. The approach of the project rediscovers relations of waterfront and its city to solve the conflict in current urban fabric and old port areas located in inner city. Waterfront redeveloped project as a major asset for the urban community which can bring new life into unattractive urban areas and create a wide of new economic and social opportunities.