Hang Bang Canal is an urban canal in Districts 5 and 6 of Ho Chi Minh City. The 1,400 metre-long canal is undergoing rehabilitation to restore the waterway and remove the houses that have encroached over the canal.
Hang Bang Canal was formerly known as Canal Bonard in Cholon (the Chinatown area of Saigon). The canal is behind Binh Tay Market, which is the main market of the Cholon area.
Many of the old canals of Saigon were neglected or filled in after 1975. The city is now undergoing a long-term project to reclaim and rehabilitate waterways of the city. The most famous waterway restoration is the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal.
The Hang Bang Canal rehabilitation project is removing the houses built along the canal and turning the surrounding land into a park.
I have been visiting the canal project over the years to check on the progress. Some of the sections have been transformed from rows of informal houses to a new park along the restored section of the canal. My photos are listed below.
Another way to see the progress is by looking on the satellite view of Google Maps. I have taken this screenshot from January 2024.
[Hang Bang Canal satellite view (January 2024).]
The map shows the section of canal that has been reclaimed behind Binh Tay Market. There are no parks in this area, so reclaiming the canal has created a vital ribbon of green space. To the west of the green area you can clearly see the houses that are built over the canal. In a few years time there should be a long stretch of greenery in this built-up urban area.
Hang Bang Canal map
The Hang Bang Canal runs from Lo Gom Canal (along Hoang Le Kha Street in District 6) to Vạn Tuong Street in District 5.
[Map of Hang Bang Canal.]
Photos
Photos from my visits to the Hang Bang Canal.
2024
Photos from my visit on 28 January 2024.
[Hang Bang Canal Park.]
[Hang Bang Canal in front of Lucky Palace apartment tower.]
[Old houses on Hang Bang Canal.]
[New park and old houses on Hang Bang Canal.]
[Housing demolition on Hang Bang Canal.]
[Remax Plaza (tall apartment tower) near Hang Bang Canal.]
2021
Photos from my visit on 16 May 2021.
[Canal rehabilitation in front of Lucky Palace.]
[Hang Bang Canal land clearance.]
[Housing built over the polluted Hang Bang Canal.]
[Hang Bang Canal land clearing.]
[Demolishing houses over the Hang Bang Canal.]
2019
Rebuilding the canal wall (16 May 2019).
2018
Photos from my visit on 2 December 2018.
[Canal houses along Bai Say Road.]
[Demolition of houses along Hang Bang Canal.]
[Demolition of houses along Bai Say Road.]
[Polluted waterway of Hang Bang Canal.]
Photos from my visit on 18 November 2018.
[Land clearance in front of Lucky Palace.]
[Rebuilding the canal wall.]
[Polluted canal under encroaching houses.]
[Reclaiming the Hang Bang Canal.]
News archive
News articles about the Hang Bang Canal restoration.
2025
HCMC opens upgraded section of Hang Bang Canal – [17/01/25]
“The HCMC Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic Projects completed upgrading a section of the Hang Bang Canal in District 5 today, January 17, marking progress in the city’s effort to reduce urban waterway pollution and enhance living conditions.”
2022
HCMC revives polluted canal with $86.2M project – [19/05/22]
“After 22 years of being filled up and heavily polluted, Hang Bang Canal has been brought back to life.”
2015
Saigon needs another $50m+ to revive historic canal – [03/12/15]
“According to the vice chairman of District 6’s People’s Committee, there are still 400 households that must be relocated at a cost of US$53 million to accommodate the project”.
US$100 million budgeted to return a Saigon canal to its former glory – [25/02/15]
“Hàng Bàng Canal, formerly known as Canal Bonard, will soon receive a massive US$100 million renovation in a bid to return the narrow brackish creek into a clean, manicured waterway.”
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