Saigon South : Developing City III

This area is referred to by many differently; namely Phu My Hung, District 7 and Saigon South. Saigon south is, incredibly, located in the south of the city, and it is literally right on the edge of the city, forming the new frontier of HCMC as it slowly spreads into the surrounding countryside. Drive down to the far end of PMH and turn right at the FV hospital towards the Korean, Japanese and Taipei International Schools and you can plainly see where the city ends and the countryside begins. This area is growing steadily and new buildings are appearing everywhere. For someone confined to the city centre and used to the manic activity we see everyday in District 1, D3, D5, D10, D11.......,in fact every other place I can think of in the city bar some parts of Phu Nhuan and Anh Phu, it may come as a surprise to see deserted boulevards such as this within HCMC limits....

Around here, residential Saigon south, you could go for a walk in the evening and dare I say it hear birds twittering. The apartment blocks seem to be fairly full, whereas the houses that line these roads and many others like it still seem to be empty. As Antidote to Burnout mentions in his post on D7 here, interaction is very different out here, as is expected when your not living in each others pockets!

This row of shops is on what is now a quiet road....

You can see the staples of any Vietnamese high street, Pho 24 and Highland Coffee. Currently, these shops aren't too busy, and the ones in the distance not even open yet. I have the feeling that they'll be doing pretty well quite soon however, as just on the other side of the road are these sites waiting for development:

Yes, the future venue of the HCMC International Exhibition & Convention Centre. Now those lonely deserted little cafes don't seem so stupid.......and then 500 meters down the road.....

Oh look! The future site of the Saigon Paragon......and as the board says, this'll be the home of 'World cass retail shop' and 'Office for lease'. Now those little cafes reveal their true intention! To make a lot of cash once the area around them is thriving.