HCM CITY — The HCM City People’s Committee has approved a key planning task for a US$3.5 billion Malaysia-backed international university urban project, paving the way for the revival of a long-delayed development in the city’s northwest.

The HCM City People’s Committee on Sunday approved the 1:2,000 zoning planning task for the Berjaya International University Urban Area, an 880-hectare development in Xuân Thới Sơn Commune, on the city’s northwestern outskirts.

The approval marks a major regulatory milestone for the project, which was first licensed in 2008 but has faced repeated delays, raising concerns in recent years that it could be withdrawn.

With a total investment of nearly VNĐ59 trillion ($3.5 billion), the project is planned as a modern university city integrating education, research, housing and commercial services. The planning horizon extends to 2040, with a broader study area of nearly 924 hectares.

City authorities say the development is intended to become a research and training hub and the core of a northern education cluster, helping to reduce pressure on the city centre while supporting economic growth in surrounding areas.

The site borders the An Hạ Canal to the southeast, Tây Ninh Province and Canal 8 to the west and southwest, and the Xáng Canal to the north.

The urban complex is designed for a population of about 135,000 people, including an estimated 60,000 students. Land-use standards and technical and social infrastructure will be aligned with the city’s master plan, officials said.

The project’s investment policy was adjusted in January this year, granting the developer 10 years to complete land compensation, site clearance and construction. Total investment has been increased by around 3 trillion dong from the original approval.

The developer, Berjaya International University Urban Area Vietnam JSC, a Việt Nam-based unit of Malaysia’s Berjaya Group, plans an integrated complex including schools from primary to university level, residential areas, commercial and service centres, healthcare, sports and recreation facilities, parks and an information technology park.

Progress has been limited so far. Of the 880 hectares requiring compensation, only 116 hectares have been cleared, with changes in land laws and periods of financial difficulty for the investor cited as key obstacles.

City officials say that the decision provides a legal basis to restart development, raising expectations the long-delayed project could now move forward and support the build-out of northwestern HCM City. — VNS