HCM City has approved the 1:2,000 zoning planning task for the Berjaya International University Urban Area.
The city people’s committee has approved the 1:2,000 zoning plan for the Berjaya International University Urban Area, an 880-hectare project in Xuan Thoi Son Commune on the northwestern outskirts.
The decision marks a major regulatory milestone for the project, first licensed in 2008 but repeatedly delayed, fuelling concerns in recent years that it could be withdrawn.
With total investment of nearly VND 59 trillion (USD 3.5 billion), the scheme is planned as a modern university city integrating education, research, housing and commercial services. The planning horizon runs to 2040, with a wider study area of nearly 924 hectares.
City authorities say the development is intended to become a research and training hub and the core of a northern education cluster, easing pressure on the city centre while supporting growth in surrounding areas.
The site borders the An Ha Canal to the southeast, Tay Ninh province and Canal 8 to the west and southwest, and the Xang Canal to the north.
The complex is designed for a population of about 135,000 people, including around 60,000 students. Land-use standards and technical and social infrastructure will align with the city’s master plan, officials said.
The project’s investment policy was adjusted in January, giving the developer 10 years to complete land compensation, site clearance and construction. Total investment was increased by about VND 3 trillion from the original approval.
The developer, Berjaya International University Urban Area Vietnam JSC, a Vietnam-based unit of Malaysia’s Berjaya Group, plans an integrated complex including schools from primary to university level, residential areas, commercial and service centres, healthcare, sports and recreation facilities, parks and an information technology park.
Progress has so far been limited. Of the 880 hectares requiring compensation, only 116 hectares have been cleared, with changes in land laws and periods of financial difficulty cited as key obstacles.
City officials said the approval provides a legal basis to restart development, raising expectations that the long-stalled project can now move forward and support growth in northwestern Ho Chi Minh City.