1,000-ha urban area to HCMC’s east to welcome residents by year end

Quoc Dung, a businessman, was impressed when he saw the expansive view of Aqua City, which spans 1,000 hectares while taking a yacht tour of Ho Chi Minh City’s eastern urban area. According to him, this is not just a huge real estate development but also a livable city with a green ecosystem and low construction density.

Hai Yen, Dung’s wife, returned to the project after six months. She also expressed her surprise at the rapid change in the project. Yen feels more secure in her investment and looks forward to settling in the city and experiencing the high-class utility ecosystem here.

Hai Yen and her husband return to the project after six months. Photo by Novaland

Phan Thi Thu Thuy, a businesswoman with extensive knowledge in healthcare, is eager to make a home in the urban area. She said that the natural landscape and natural scenery were important factors in her decision to invest in Aqua City.

In addition to having a home surrounded by nature, Aqua City impresses businesswomen with its complete amenities and well-planned smart ecosystem.

International standard eco-urban area

Aqua City smart eco-urban area was built and developed into a closed “all-in-one” complex. The project, which has the advantage of connecting to HCMC’s east, is surrounded by 32 kilometers of river and is expected to start operating and welcome residents at the end of 2022.

Many facilities have been completed, giving the project new vitality, like the marina square complex – Aqua Marina, Aqua Sport Center, clubhouse chain, Aqua Security Center, etc. Many investors, business owners, and celebrities have invested in this megaproject.

Many domestic and international brands are present in Aqua City like Nova Mall, Nova Supermarket, 8 seconds fashion store, and Baya interior-decor market. Many other facilities serve customers, including Dynasty House Hong Kong Restaurant Dimsum & Hotpot, Sichuan Spice World Hotpot, Seorae BBQ, PhinDeli, Gloria Jean’s Coffees, Baskin Robbins, Xing Fu Tang, etc.

Families are also welcomed by entertainment facilities like the CinéWorld cinema, Aeon Fantasy and Kid’s Box entertainment area.

The perspective of the square – marina complex at Aqua City. Photo by Novaland

According to Vo Thuy Anh, founder and director of CIM Australia Pty Ltd., (a company specializing in real estate investment management in Australia), there are many similarities between Aqua City and Australian metropolises.

“I incredible that Vietnam has a well-planned metropolitan area like Aqua City that can provide residents with such a wonderful living environment.

The project is comparable to livable communities around the globe, like Aura City along the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, where I work,” said Anh.

After a recent visit to Aqua City, Miss Earth 2020, Lindsey Coffey and Miss Earth 2021, Destiny Wagner said that Aqua City has all the factors of “a livable space,” is one of the most beautiful eco-cities, and has a fresh environment reminiscent of Rhode Island in the U.S. or other places they have traveled, like France, Italy, and Spain.

High standard of living

According to Anh, modern and high-quality urban areas like Aqua City will attract Vietnamese and foreign experts to live and work.

In terms of scale, location, utilities, and living space, the project is also among the most remarkable urban areas in HCMC.

In order to transform into a leading eco-urban location, Novaland expects Aqua City to promote the changing appearance of riverbank urban strips and regional urban areas.

Aqua City seeks to meet the demand for high-quality housing for professionals working in Dong Nai in addition to attracting residents in HCMC and surrounding areas.

Commercial shophouses in Aqua City urban area. Photo by Novaland

According to Savills’ data, in 2021, there would be roughly 615,000 people employed in industrial parks 2021. As of the end of last year, 6,169 hectares of industrial parks in the province were occupied. The substantial labor force is a reliable source of demand for real estate products.

With Aqua City, Novaland also has the ambition to stimulate economic growth by attracting high-quality labor and experts to the eastern portion of HCMC in general and Dong Nai in particular.

Big prospects

There are a few megacities like Aqua City in the context of a limited land fund in HCMC and surrounding areas.

“With such an environment, Aqua City is a livable urban area, with translational added value in the coming years,” said Thuy Anh.

Harry Morant, CEO and founder of the e-commerce platform Buy2sell, highly appreciated Aqua City’s location, which is at the center of arterial traffic routes, which makes it convenient for him to travel to nearby cities and provinces.

The HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway, as well as roads connecting to Long Thanh Airport and so on, are now being constructed, creating a driving force for the development of the east.

Investors expect that Aqua City’s value would continue to increase over the period of 2023–25 when several important infrastructure projects will be implemented and enter service.

CinéWorld in Aqua City urban area. Photo by Novaland

According to Savills research, the lack of land-based real estate supply in HCMC will endure due to the city’s housing planning to 2030 prioritizing high-rise housing development.

Ho Dac Duy, manager of Savills Vietnam Housing Business Department, said that the value of townhouses, villas and shophouses in HCMC will increase sharply in both primary and secondary markets.

The reason is that the supply of land is restricted while the demand for owning land-based real estate satisfies the increasing demand for settlement and business exploitation.