British architecture companies Atkins and Arup have started working on a 460-metre skyscraper in HCM City, which will become Vietnam's tallest building on completion in 2017.
The 81-storey Vincom Landmark 81 will be located on the bank of the Saigon River in Vinhomes Central Park.
Atkins' brief includes building and landscape design.
To have a modern and unusual design that symbolises the diversity and rapid emergence of HCM City, the mixed-use development would have a hotel, serviced apartments, and luxury retail space.
Arup, which first came to global attention with the structural design of the Sydney Opera House, will be in charge of the construction.
"This project marks a significant progress for Atkins in Vietnam and reinforces our track record in landmark projects on a global scale," Bertil de Kleynen, Asia Pacific director of architecture and landscape for Atkins, told Dezeen magazine.
Construction began last December.
The tower, belonging to giant property developer Vingroup, will exceed the height of landmark structures including Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers.-VNA