The work completed 90%
On July 3, Trungnam Group (investor) representative stated that the project to deal with tidal flooding in Ho Chi Minh City, taking climate change issues into account (phase 1), had reached approximately 90% of its volume. Ben Nghe tidal control sluice (District 1) achieved 92%, Tan Thuan sluice (District 7) obtained 93%, Phu Xuan sluice (Nha Be district) earned 95 percent, and Muong Chuoi sluice (Nha Be district) achieved 92%. Cay Kho tidal control sluice (Nha Be district) reaches 90% suspension, and Phu Dinh sluice (District 8) gets 92% suspension. The installation of gates, hydraulic cylinder systems, boat locks, and pump chambers have been completed at the 6 aforementioned tidal control sluices, work on embankment carrying culverts, riverbed stone mats, and management zones, in particular, has been temporarily halted.
The construction unit erected the Phu Xuan tidal sluice (Nha Be district) with two 212-ton tidal gates
With a total expenditure of roughly VND 10,000 billion, this project began in mid-2016 to manage floods caused by tides and adapt proactively to climate change for a 750-kilometer area with approximately 6.5 million inhabitants in Saigon River and the city center. According to the initial timeline, the project is expected to complete in April 2018, but the building must be halted for 10 months due to financial issues. The completion date was pushed back to June 2019. The project was begun in February 2019 and was planned to be operational in the first quarter of 2020. However, there are still issues with both space and credit allocation.
If the premises are accessible, the investor stated that the construction could be completed in October 2020 in time for the 11th Party Congress of Ho Chi Minh City. However, the ground was not supplied to the construction unit on time. By mid-November 2020, the project was still on hold since the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City had not signed an appendix to the BT contract (build - transfer) to extend the project's implementation schedule (the contract has expired from June 2020).
Wait for the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to complete the procedure for signing the contract appendix to extend the completion time
The Prime Minister signed Resolution 40 on removing impediments in early April of this year, ensuring that Ho Chi Minh City continues to undertake the project under a defined system to secure economic gains and prevent wasting invested resources. The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has been tasked with taking responsibility for the project's completion in compliance with regulations and paying investors, and reviewing and eliminating excessive expenses. In terms of investment capital, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City reached an agreement with the State Bank and BIDV to refinance loans for project implementation.
Furthermore, the Government requested that Ho Chi Minh City accept responsibility for resolving legal issues as much as feasible, the project's anti-flood effectiveness, and not to be negative. Trung Nam Group's representative told Lao Dong that it has failed to move forward despite the Government issuing a Resolution to resolve various issues with this project.
The investor stated that he is still waiting for the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to finish the procedures for signing the contract appendix to extend the completion period and continue building on the project. Because the contract appendix was not signed, the bank could not disburse the remaining VND1,800 billion, causing the project to be delayed.
On July 1, concluding at the Government's regular meeting in June 2021, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recommended that ministries, agencies, and localities be proactive in resolving backlog tasks in the spirit of "putting an end to all you've done."