Construction started on Monday on Becamex – Thuan An urban complex covering about 52 hectares in Lai Thieu Township of Binh Duong Province's Thuan An District, some 20 kilometers from HCMC's downtown.
Investment and Industrial Development Corp., or Becamex IDC, as the project owner said nearly VND6 trillion, or over US$300 million, would be required for key components in the new urban area complex.
A highlight in the complex will be a general hospital of international standards, said the company's board chairman Nguyen Van Hung.
Hung said that the Mien Dong International General Hospital, which will cover 12 hectares site in the complex, will house an inpatient facility of approximately 1,000 beds, with over 30 general and specialist outpatient care clinics, 30 operating theater suites and an education center for 300 students.
The hospital, designed by a Singaporean consultant and requiring total investment of VND1.5 trillion, will be equipped with state-of-the-art diagnosis facilities and domestic and international medical expertise. The hospital will be completed after four years to serve people in the southern key economic area and laborers working at industrial parks nearby, such as VSIP, Viet Huong, he said.
The company will also cooperate with big hospitals in HCMC and schools of medicine on providing healthcare services at the new hospital, according to the company.
Meanwhile, Setia Lai Thieu One Member Company Limited, a subsidiary of Malaysia''s leading property developer SP Setia Bhd, will develop an urban area worth some VND3.5 trillion in the complex.
The EcoXuan as the urban area is named covers 10.8 hectares and comprises a residential estate, a condominium precinct, a lifestyle center, as well as service apartments and shop houses. All the neighborhoods are connected by a network of green links with pedestrian and bicycle trails, said Stanley K S Saw, general director of Setia Lai Thieu One Member Company Limited.
He said at the ground-breaking ceremony on Monday that the project would offer between 1,500 and 2,000 units for sale, and it is expected to take between five and six years to complete the urban center
The first component to be built in EcoXuan shortly after this groundbreaking ceremony will be The Sales Gallery, which forms part of The Lifestyle Center. The building will be completed early next year in line with the expected launch of its products, he said.
This is the second property project of SP Setia Bhd in Binh Duong. Previously, SP Setia Bhd has joined forces with Becamex IDC to develop EcoLakes town covering 226 hectares in the center of 3,600-ha My Phuoc Industrial Park (IP) in the province.
In another project, Dat Viet Company will develop a new urban area named The Season in the complex. The company will spend VND1.8 trillion to develop the project on 11 hectares with facilities including high-end villas, a commercial center, and houses.
Besides, Becamex IDC will develop other facilities on more than 15 hectares in the complex including an outdoor theatre, a multifunctional sporting event hall, a park and apartment buildings for resettlement programs.
Le Thanh Cung, vice chairman of the province, expected the investors to start operation quickly so that the complex project will soon bring modern vitality to Binh Duong.
He said the complex is set to become a landmark development which will introduce a new standard and style of living. It will become a beautiful town at the gateway into Binh Duong Province.
Reported by Quoc Hung/ The Saigon Times Daily
