September 23rd Park

September 23rd Park (Vietnamese: Công viên 23 tháng 9), also known as 23/9 Park, is a 9 hectares (22 acres) park in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.^[1][2][3] The park is located adjacent to Bến Thành Market the edge of the backpacker area of Phạm Ngũ Lão – Bùi Viện, it mainly bordered by two streets of Phạm Ngũ Lão and Lê Lai on the south and north of the park, respectively, stretch from Quách Thị Trang Square to Thái Bình Market. It is a popular location for English learning among Vietnamese locals.^[1]

September 23rd Park
Công viên 23 tháng 9
Type	Urban park
Location	Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Coordinates	10.7694°N 106.6938°E / 10.7694; 106.6938
Public transit access	L1 L2 L4 Bến Thành station, Thái Bình Market station (On planned, Line 1 Phase 2 only)

History

The park was built in the 1980s on land previously serving as the Saigon Railway Station.^[4] The park is named to commemorate September 23, 1945, marking the uprising against the French colonial government. In 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council approved the creation of the Southern Resistance Monument, to be completed in 2026.^[5][6]

In 2019, the city launched a competition to redesign the park.^[7]

Description

Map of Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward with green space in Section B of September 23rd Park marked as green color area

September 23rd Park is divided into 3 sections A (stretch of Quách Thị Trang Square - Nguyễn Thị Nghĩa Street), B (Nguyễn Thị Nghĩa - Đỗ Quang Đẩu Street) and C (the rest):

• Section A: Green space and Bến Thành Central Metro Station Square

Section A of the park with Bến Thành station

• Section B: Commercial space, occupies half of the area, where festivals are held, underground Central Market for shopping and a temporary inactive Lotus Performative Arts Outdoor Theatre (Sân khấu Sen Hồng) for public shows, Ho Chi Minh City Visitor Information and Support Center also here. The rest are green space with a pond.

Sen Hồng Performative Arts Outdoor Theatre

The pond in Section B

Ho Chi Minh City Visitor Information and Support Center

• Section C: Public bus parking lot

Section C and its surrounding area

Transportation

Bến Thành station on the HCMC Metro is located underneath the park, with services on Line 1 beginning 22 December 2024.^[8][9] Thái Bình Market station located under Section C of the park, on the western extension of the Line 1 is also proposed.