A new public park was opened on Võ Văn Tần Street, Xuân Hòa Ward. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

HCM CITY — A newly landscaped public park -- repurposed from an empty land plot -- at No.8 Võ Văn Tần Street, Xuân Hòa Ward, HCM City, officially opened to residents on Sunday afternoon

The site, part of the Phan Đình Phùng Sports Centre project, had remained unused for years before being transformed into a green public space with flower gardens and open areas for recreation and exercise activities in the city centre.

Nguyễn Văn Được, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, said that the project reflects the city’s efforts to repurpose land awaiting development for public use, improving living conditions while making better use of scarce inner-city land.

The project developer, Phát Đạt Real Estate Development Joint Stock Company, said the park was designed under the theme of an “urban ecological forest,” combining greenery with spaces for sports, leisure and public activities.

The project was completed and handed over nearly two weeks ahead of schedule, allowing residents to enjoy the new public space ahead of the Tết (Traditional New Year) holiday.

City leaders said the model could be expanded to other sites, as HCM City continues to review unused or pending-development land in central regions for temporary conversion into public spaces. — VNS