HCMC to add shaded area to cool pedestrian street and park

Chairman Phan Van Mai has ordered Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Planning and Architecture to work with District 1 on the plan and submit it to the city within the next month.

The plan must ensure that the area will provide shade and can be used for art lighting programs.

Opened in 2015, Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street is 670 meters long and attracts thousands of people for leisurely walks daily. The street is also a venue for many events.

Lying across Nguyen Hue Street is Bach Dang Wharf Park.

In January last year, the park, which runs along the Saigon River and is home to the dock of the Saigon River Bus, reopened to the public after a year of renovations.

So far, it has also attracted many visitors every day, including tourists.

However, given the city’s hot weather, it is difficult for people to hang out in either area for extended periods during the day.

Mai has accordingly come up with the decision to create a shaded area.

Early last month, the city rolled out a plan to build a footbridge over Ton Duc Thang Street to link Nguyen Hue Street and Bach Dang Wharf Park as pedestrians find it difficult to access the park from Nguyen Hue and vice versa, given the busy traffic.