Ho Chi Minh City Speeds Conversion of Surplus Properties for Schools, Health Care

Ho Chi Minh City is pushing local agencies to turn unused public buildings into schools, medical facilities and other community assets rather than leave them idle.

The city government has ordered departments, public service units and ward, commune and special-zone administrations to review all surplus land and buildings under their management. Facilities without an identified use should be proposed for transfer or conversion, with education, training, health care and other public purposes given priority.

The Department of Health and the Department of Education and Training must assess demand for buildings and land needed to expand the city’s public education and health systems. They will also review surplus properties transferred from central ministries and agencies before sending proposed uses to the Department of Finance.

The finance department will advise the city government on how to allocate, transfer or convert suitable properties. The process must use public assets efficiently and prevent losses and waste. The departments responsible for agriculture and environment, construction, and planning and architecture will help update land-use and other plans after authorities approve each conversion.

The city inspectorate will lead a monitoring plan covering the management, use, reorganization, disposal and repurposing of surplus properties. Ho Chi Minh City began reviewing such assets after administrative units were reorganized on July 1, 2025.

Some conversions have already taken place. The former District 12 Party Committee and district People’s Committee offices in Thới An became a school named after national heroine Lê Thị Riêng. The former Tân Phú district offices became a school, while the former Võ Thị Sáu ward offices in Xuân Hòa became a medical station. The city also converted a site at 1 Lý Thái Tổ Street into a public park and memorial space for COVID-19 victims, which opened in February 2026.