The three wards of the old District 2, and where we build
Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 reorganised the old District 2 into three wards, the city's local administrative units, from 1 July 2025: An Khanh, Binh Trung and Cat Lai. The name District 2 survives in conversation and in many leases, so write your address the way you are used to.
From our office at 72 Nguyen Co Thach, in the Sala urban area of An Khanh ward, the team works regularly in all three wards. Surveys are taken from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM every day; building hours follow the rules of your compound or tower.
- An Khanh ward
- Garden villas along Nguyen Van Huong and Quoc Huong, Thao Dien's gated compounds, the Saroma villas and SariTown townhouses in Sala, and penthouses and duplexes in the towers of Thu Thiem and Thao Dien.
- Binh Trung ward
- Townhouses and semi-detached villas at Lakeview City and Palm City, and the handed-over SOHO townhouses of The Global City.
- Cat Lai ward
- Townhouses and garden homes beside the river.
Thao Dien villa gardens on low ground: why drainage comes first
A Thao Dien villa usually means a lawn, mature trees, a pergola, a timber deck round the pool and a terrace open to the river. Underneath is low ground. Tuoi Tre (June 2025) describes Thao Dien, Quoc Huong and Nguyen Van Huong streets as low-lying with ageing drainage, where heavy rain on a high tide can leave 0.15–0.3 m of water for one to two hours.
The rainy season also brings heavy rain in short bursts. A garden with no fall and no proper outlet holds that water: roots rot, the lawn dies in patches and mosquitoes breed. So before plants are discussed, the specialist checks what lies below the surface.
- The present levels of the garden.
- The existing drain gullies and the route out to the shared drainage system.
- What can be done: adjusting the fall, adding channels, a gravel drainage layer or buried pipes. Most gardens that hold water after rain can be improved this way.
- Irrigation lines and cable conduit belong to the same underground stage, so the finished garden is not dug up again.
An empty plot in Sala, The Global City or Binh Trung: the order of work
At Saroma, SariTown, the SOHO row at The Global City or the row houses of Lakeview City and Palm City, a new owner may take over a home with the yard still to finish. What you see lasts only if the soil, drainage, irrigation pipes and cable underneath are right from the start. The work falls into five groups: underground work first, then soil, paths and planting, with the lawn laid last so that nobody tramples it.
| Work group | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Groundworks | Levelling and falls, drainage channels and pipes, irrigation lines, buried conduit for cable. |
| Soil | Soil mixed with builders' rubble is stripped out and replaced with loose planting soil rich in organic matter; beds get a drainage layer. |
| Hard landscaping | Paths, stone steps, bed edging, gravel, landscape rocks, large planters. Large structural items are advised on separately. |
| Planting | Shade trees, shrubs, hedging, flowers and climbers, then the lawn, following the plant list you approved. |
| Irrigation and lighting | A timed automatic irrigation system; tree spotlights and path lights connected by a suitably certified electrician. |
Penthouse and duplex terraces: load, wind and the lift
Penthouses and duplexes sit in the towers of Thu Thiem and Thao Dien. Many open onto the Saigon River through large glass walls, with balconies in wind and direct sun for hours. Three questions come before any plant is chosen: what the slab can carry, how it is waterproofed, and how strong the wind and the sun reflected off the glass are.
- Load and waterproofing
- The weight of soil, pots and large plants, and the waterproofing layer, are considered first. For heavy items we ask you to consult a structural designer and the building management. We usually work with lightweight pots and planters, not soil laid on the slab.
- Plants for a windy terrace
- Low plants with flexible stems, in lightweight pots that are firmly fixed.
- Getting materials up
- Soil, pots and plants go up by lift in the hours the management allows. Many District 2 buildings ask contractors to register in advance and declare their equipment, and some take a works deposit that is returned if nothing is damaged.
- Larger built items
- Retaining walls and canopies may need formal procedures; we advise you so that you can check before work starts.
Plants chosen by hours of sun; irrigation and lighting planned with them
Ho Chi Minh City has rain from May to November, dry months from December to April and an average temperature of about 27°C. What decides the plant list, though, is how many hours of sun each corner of your garden gets. The specialist maps full sun, morning sun, reflected afternoon sun, shade and wind direction, then proposes plants zone by zone.
Automatic irrigation suits households that travel: drip lines for beds and pots, misting for moisture-loving plants, sprinklers for a wide lawn, all on a timer adjusted by season. Garden lights work in wet conditions, so a suitably certified electrician does the wiring: cable in conduit, outdoor-rated fittings and a residual-current device on the circuit. Paving needs enough texture not to be slippery in rain.
| Where | What suits it |
|---|---|
| Sun all day | Sun-loving, fairly drought-tolerant plants such as bougainvillea, shrubs with coloured foliage and sun-tolerant grass. |
| Under large trees or beside a boundary wall | Shade-tolerant plants such as ferns, pothos and peace lily. Grass thins out here; ground cover or gravel may serve better. |
| Round the pool | Species that drop few leaves and are easy to look after. |
| Near walls, foundations and pipes | Species whose roots do not damage structures, planted at a safe distance. |
How a garden project is quoted in District 2
No standard rate applies: a townhouse yard in Sala and a riverside villa garden that needs its drainage rebuilt are different projects. The survey and the quote are free. You receive an estimate broken down by item, by plant species and size, by materials and by schedule, and the all-inclusive price does not change without your written agreement. A larger project may need a deposit, stated in the quote; the balance is paid after the handover inspection, by bank transfer or cash, and VAT invoices are issued on request.
If the budget has to stretch over time, the project can be phased: groundworks, soil and the main structural planting first, flowers, decorative lighting and features later. Warranty terms for the work and for the plants are those written into your contract or quote, and anything that falls short at inspection is put right before handover.
| Factor | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Area and present condition | A bare new plot, or an old garden to strip out; how much rubble and poor soil must go. |
| Plant species and size | Large shade trees and specimen plants cost more to buy, move and plant than small ones. |
| Groundworks | Length of drainage, number of irrigation zones, type of nozzle, number of lights. |
| Materials | The paving, gravel, edging and planters chosen, and how much of each. |
| Access | A terrace or balcony means everything travels by lift; the building or estate sets the working hours. |
International residents: English, compound gates, building rules
- In English
- Enquiries, the concept, quotes, booking confirmations and the Up Report can all be in English. If you need an English speaker on site, tell us when you book; if that is not possible we let you know in advance and support you by phone or message.
- Compounds
- Thao Dien's gated compounds record who comes in. We send the team's names and photos beforehand, and on site they follow the guard's instructions on parking, the route and the use of outdoor water and power.
- Apartment towers
- Under the 2023 Housing Law and Circular 05/2024/TT-BXD every building's house rules cover security and hygiene, so procedures differ from one development to the next. We ask about yours first and plan the schedule round it.
- Your household staff
- Please tell your gardener and housekeeper the start date and which areas to keep off for a while, such as a newly laid lawn.
After handover: care plan, maintenance, mosquitoes, booking
The first months, while plants root and the lawn closes over, are when a garden is most easily set back. At handover you inspect the garden with the specialist and receive the care plan: watering by season, when to feed, how to check roots and leaves and how to run the irrigation timer.
- Regular garden maintenance in District 2
- Mowing, pruning, feeding, irrigation checks and leaf clearing on an agreed schedule.
- Mosquitoes around the garden
- Treatment is carried out by UpClean's own pest-control technicians, as a separate service.
- Guide: garden care in Saigon's rainy season
- Drainage, pruning before storms and watering while you are away.
- Book a free survey
- Or message 0968 726 135 on WhatsApp or Zalo with photos of the space and your project or street name.
What does UpClean's garden design & build include?
- Site survey: sun, shade, wind, soil, water supply and drainage points
- Concept layout, style and plant list for your approval
- Itemised estimate and fixed written quote
- Soil improvement, planting of trees, shrubs, hedges, flowers and lawns
- Paths, landscape stone, gravel, raised beds and large planters
- Surface drainage and automatic irrigation (drip, mist or sprinkler)
- Garden lighting connected by suitably certified electricians using outdoor-rated fittings
- Site clean-up and removal of debris and surplus soil
- Handover with watering, feeding and early-stage aftercare plan
Written by the UpClean technical team, reviewed by Trần Nguyễn Hữu Nhật — Founder of UpClean.
Sources
- Nghị quyết 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 về sắp xếp đơn vị hành chính cấp xã TP.HCM năm 2025
- Điều gì khiến ‘phố nhà giàu’ Thảo Điền cứ mưa là ngập? — Tuổi Trẻ (06/2025)
- Khí hậu, thời tiết TP.HCM — Cổng thông tin điện tử TP.HCM
- Quy định nội dung chủ yếu của bản nội quy quản lý, sử dụng nhà chung cư (Thông tư 05/2024/TT-BXD)
