Ho Chi Minh City (VNS/VNA) - Construction on dozens of school projects across Ho Chi Minh City is being accelerated ahead of Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, with thousands of new classrooms and modern facilities expected to be put into operation in the first months of 2026.
Nearly 10 months after breaking ground, Tran Dại Nghia Primary School in Binh Hung Hoa ward is nearing completion.
Built on an 8,800-square-metre site, the school includes one ground floor and three upper floors, with 45 classrooms and fully equipped functional rooms.
The project has a total investment of 156 billion VND (6 million USD), and construction has reached around 90%. The school is scheduled to open on April 30, 2026.
According to Principal Van Minh Tan, the ward currently has nine primary schools, but with a population of nearly 295,000, demand for school places remains high.
Once operational, the new school is expected to accommodate about 1,100 students. Each classroom is designed to cover 52 square metres for 35 students, meeting national facility standards.
“Every time we pass by the new campus under construction, we look forward to its completion. We will strive to make it a truly happy school,” Tan said.
Ha Xuan Thien, site commander of the project, said the tight schedule required the contractor to mobilise up to 300 workers and heavy machinery at peak times, with construction continuing through holidays to ensure progress.
The team plans to work until the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month before taking a Tet break, resuming on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year to ensure handover in early April.
In the same area, the Binh Tan Construction Investment Project Management Board is also building Binh Hung Hoa Junior High School.
The project covers 14,700 square metres and includes one ground floor and four upper floors, with 41 classrooms and functional rooms. Total investment is nearly 160 billion VND (6.2 million USD).
Nguyen Minh Phong, deputy director of the board, said in 2026 it will continue implementing 20 additional school projects under the 2026-2030 investment plan approved by the municipal People’s Committee.
Accelerating progress citywide
Construction is also being fast-tracked in other wards and communes.
Vinh Loc B Primary School in Tan Vinh Loc commune is being built on nearly 17,000 square metres, with 45 classrooms and total investment exceeding 230 billion VND (8.9 million USD).
The project has reached about 80% completion. More than 220 workers are operating in three shifts daily to keep the project on schedule. The school is expected to open for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Tran Khac Huy, Head of the Planning and Finance Division under the city’s Department of Education and Training, said local authorities have stepped up efforts to expand and upgrade school infrastructure in response to rapid population growth.
By the end of 2025, about 45% of the planned classroom construction and renovation programme had been completed, equivalent to 2,565 out of 5,910 classrooms, of which, 1,860 are newly built and 705 have been repaired or upgraded.
Localities with high population growth will continue launching new projects to meet rising demand for school places, he said.
In Phu Giao commune, construction will begin on An Binh Junior High School at a cost of more than 67 billion VND (2.6 million USD) and Tran Hung Dao Junior High School at a cost of 54 billion VND (2.1 million USD).
Phuoc Hoa commune will start building Phuoc Hoa A Primary School, with a total investment of more than 68 billion VND (2.6 million USD).
In Thai My commune, renovation projects are under way at Thai My Kindergarten at a cost of 25 billion VND (964,000 USD) and Thai My Primary School at a cost of 30 billion VND (1.2 million USD).
At the upper-secondary level, An Lac ward will launch a major renovation and upgrade of An Lac High School, with a total investment of nearly 238 billion VND (9.2 million USD).
Meanwhile, the upgrade of Block C at Marie Curie High School in Xuan Hoa ward has reached 80% completion.
The 42 billion VND (1.6 million USD) project is part of efforts to improve educational quality and learning conditions at the more than 100-year-old school.
The renovation and expansion of Vo Truong Toan High School in Tan Thoi Hiep ward, funded by over 175 billion VND (6.7 million USD) from the city budget, has reached 70% completion.
Tran Van Sy, Director of the Hoc Mon Construction Investment Project Management Board, said several projects in Hoc Mon, Ba Diem, Xuan Thoi Son and Dong Thạnh communes have recently been completed and put into operation.
These include the upgrade and expansion of Hoc Mon Junior High School, adding 31 classrooms at a cost of 100 billion VND (3.9 million USD), and the newly built Phan Cong Hon Junior High School with 22 classrooms and functional rooms, funded with 70 billion VND (2.7 million USD).
Designed to modern standards, the new facilities are expected to increase the proportion of students studying two sessions per day and improve overall learning conditions across the city./.
source
