District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

For other uses, see District 2.

District 2 Quận 2
Urban district
Position in HCMC's core Position in HCMC's core
District 2 Location in Vietnam
Coordinates:
Country	Vietnam
Centrally governed city	Ho Chi Minh City
Seat	249 Luong Dinh Cua
Wards	11 phường
Area
• Total	50 km2 (20 sq mi)
Population
• Total	140,621
• Density	2,800/km2 (7,300/sq mi)
Demographics
• Main ethnic groups	predominantly Kinh
Time zone	ICT (UTC+07)
Website	quan2.hochiminhcity.gov.vn

File:VN-F-HC-Q2 position in metropolitan area.png

Map showing the location of District 2 within metropolitan Ho Chi Minh City

District 2, in which the new urban area of Thu Thiem is located, is an urban district of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As of 2010, the district had a population of 140,621, a total area of 50 km².

Administration

The district has 11 phường, or wards:

1. An Lợi Đông
2. An Khánh
3. An Phú
4. Bình An
5. Bình Khánh
6. Bình Trưng Đông
7. Bình Trưng Tây
8. Cát Lái
9. Thảo Điền
10. Thủ Thiêm
11. Thạnh Mỹ Lợi

Development

In the past, District 2 was one of the poorest parts of Ho Chi Minh City due to the separation by the Saigon River from the city center. However, it is now the one of the prioritized area for investment by the government of Ho Chi Minh City. The completion of Thu Thiem Bridge in 2008 and Thu Thiem Tunnel in 2011 are expected to support the development of the Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area. Thu Thiem Tunnel joins District 2 with District 1 (Central Sài Gòn), the central area of Ho Chi Minh City. The other connection of District 2 to the central city area is the Thu Thiem Bridge, which connects District 2 and Bình Thạnh District. The transportation to District 2 will be much easier when the metro, whose route passes through District 2, comes into use. This will be the first metro in Vietnam, and it will help Ho Chi Minh City to catch up with other developed cities in the world.

File:Thu Thiem Tunnel.jpg

Thu Thiem Tunnel

The Vietnamese government is seeking to build a completely new district for wealthy citizens as well as a new economic center. Thanh Nien and Tuổi Trẻ, two newspapers in Vietnam, describe that the new District 2 will be as modern as Singapore and Hong Kong.

Less prosperous agricultural workers of District 2 have been forced to move in slum clearance measures. Thatched houses will be replaced by multi-story house and villas. A few single-family homes will be constructed for those with large incomes. A large number of citizens would go on living in high-grade apartment blocks. Each block contains swimming pools, tennis courts, shopping malls, and other necessary services. There will be kindergartens, elementary schools, and high schools, but there will be no university, as all the universities are being moved to Thu Duc district to form the University Village, which is another plan of the city government. Beside the residential area will be the economic and trade zone with modern skyscrapers.

This area is also populated by a portion of Ho Chi Minh City's expatriate community, and as such has a large number of restaurants, bars and shops selling European foods, particularly the high street Xuan Thuy.

Education

Below is a list of schools that are in this area:

International School Ho Chi Minh City is located in District 2.

British International School Vietnam is located in District 2.

Australian International School, Vietnam is located in District 2.

EUROPEAN International School Ho Chi Minh City is located in District 2.