Ho Chi Minh’s Tallest Tower Takes Shape

What’s going up faster than your energy level after a caphe sua da? Vietnam’s tallest tower, Vincom Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that’s what.

The newest addition to that city’s ever-reaching skyline aims to concretize business relationships between East and West in the form of high-end mixed-use urban development. The building’s footprint is organized as a bundled cascade of 25 square-shaped floor plates that soar into a singular, soaring pinnacle of goodness 460 meters above the banks of the Saigon River.

Developed by Vingroup, one of Vietnam’s most active local developers, and designed by British architecture firm Atkins and engineered by their occidental chums Arup, the modern and dynamic spire aims to symbolize the diversity and rapid economic emergence of Ho Chi Minh City as a locus of contemporary modes of consumption and commerce.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron, quoted in Atkins’ press release for the proposal, lauded the project and key players, saying, “Atkins and Arup are leading the way in unlocking the potential for British businesses in Vietnam. It’s a testament to their expertise that Ho Chi Minh City’s skyline will be shaped by British design.”

The Prime Minister’s high words for the project are echoed in the development’s many amenities, including a luxury hotel, serviced residential apartments and “a top-class shopping experience” along the 241,000m2 tower’s base that itself opens up onto a recreational urban park, Vinhomes Central Park.

Construction of Vincom Landmark 81 is expected to finish in 2017. For more information on Atkins’ other supertall buildings in Asia, visit their online portfolio.

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