From a low-lying on the banks of the Vam Co Dong River, the integrated township of Waterpoint has contributed to a new appearance for the southwestern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, a testament to Nam Long’s long-term vision in creating quality living spaces. 

If you have a chance to visit Waterpoint at this time, the first impression is a dreamy natural landscape, with a unique charm of a “city by the river”. Behind the poetic silhouette of a constantly improving metropolis is the story of Nam Long’s persistent development for nearly 20 years with leading international partners.   Sharing about the initial stage of building the Waterpoint township (Ben Luc, Long An), a representative of Nam Long Group - the project’s investor - said that in the 1990s, this place was simply empty land located next to a sandbank of the Vam Co Dong River, with abundant waterways, canals, sparse population and mainly dependent on ice cultivation, mat weaving, duck farming and shrimp farming. 

The only value of a subtownship of Ho Chi Minh City at that time was the accumulated sediment of hundreds of years, without other potential being seen. In 2004, after survey trips to many countries around the world, Nam Long’s leaders realized the common trend of developed countries is the Satellite city model. These cities are often located in the suburbs of major cities, conveniently connected to the neighboring regions, adjacent to the ring roads, sharing the pressure with large cities. Considering the location, Ben Luc - Long An has many suitable factors for developing a satellite city. Specifically, the Waterpoint project benefits from the frontage of Provincial Road 830, which is convenient to connect with Ho Chi Minh City. This is also the connection point to the Mekong Delta provinces. The entire township is located on the "thumb" land on the alluvial ground of the Vam Co Dong river, which means prosperity and abundance. 

In other words, the location of Waterpoint meets the criteria of politics, connectivity, feng shui, potential... to become a township supporting the strong development of Ho Chi Minh City and the southwestern region. From there, the aspiration for a model satellite township bordering Ho Chi Minh City began," shared a representative from Nam Long. In 1996, with the desire to escape from the whirlwind of land sales in the market, Nam Long announced the "Nam Long House" program - marking the direction of becoming a professional real estate developer. 

Pursuing serious investment in regional planning to build quality living spaces, the success of previous townships Nam Long Phuoc Long B (District 9), Nam Long Tan Thuan Dong (District 7)... not only demonstrates Nam Long's development strategy but also creates a solid foundation for the formation of Waterpoint. From the idea of a modern integrated township that follows international standards, in 2005, Nam Long started with an unprecedented step: organizing an international urban design competition to find the optimal planning solution for Waterpoint. After 4 months of launching, the competition attracted 7 companies from Spain, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia... 

Under the consultation of many domestic and international experts in the direction of ecology - smart connectivity - sustainable development, the planning proposal of Conybeare Morrison (CM+) - an urban planner with over 30 years of experience in Australia - won. Despite having a valuable location advantage as a "connecting point of prosperity and abundance", the development of Waterpoint was determined to be a long journey, requiring careful research, aiming at real values, not running after market trends. 

Based on the study of the terrain, water flow and geography in the area, predicting future needs and trends, Nam Long and CM+ experts proposed a "natural" design plan that ensures long-term compatibility with the existing ecosystem. 

With the goal of creating a well-organized township with international stature for Vietnamese people, after the decision to cooperate with CM+, Nam Long continued to seek partners to build infrastructure systems, landscape, interior and exterior design. The companies accompanying Nam Long include TwoG Architecture, Royal Haskoning DHV, Aurecon (Netherlands), Swan Maclaren (Singapore), Ardor, Lascal (Japan)... In addition, having Nishi Nippon Railroad, an investor with more than 100 years of experience in Japan on board, also contributed to "creating an township that is friendly, prosperous, full of dreams and hopes even 50 or 100 years later", as shared by Mr. Fukumori, representative of Nishi Nippon Railroad. 

"All for the sake of making Waterpoint a multi-functional integrated township, creating a quality living environment, establishing new standards, giving a modern makeover to the entire region," said a Nam Long representative. In June 2018, Waterpoint was officially launched. According to the final design plan, the entire 50m buffer zone from the river to township is kept untouched to conserve the vegetation and natural ecosystem while trying not to interfere with the flow of the Vam Co Dong River. 

Waterpoint still retains the characteristic features of the river and water area, such as coconut trees and dirt roads along the river. From the beginning, Waterpoint was planned with the criteria of preserving maximum natural greenery. The design and arrangement of houses are also scientifically calculated from low to high density (from the riverbank). Accordingly, along the river will be a row of Grand Villas, mansions, and walking paths, parks along the river before reaching the single and semi-detached villas. 

Around the main road axis of the central township, rows of townhouses, shophouses, and high-rise buildings will be arranged. This design approach minimizes environmental impact, brings in natural ventilation when the entire township can breathe in fresh air from the Vam Co Dong River, ensuring a balanced and sustainable township. The Waterpoint integrated township includes 5 functional subdivisions: Central Park - the "green heart" of the city by the river; Aquaria - a space for luxurious and prosperous living; Rivera - a subdivision along the flow of the river, and Marina - a subdivision of modern living values. 

According to Nam Long representative, each subdivision has an unique personality, but all share a common living space that is convenient, modern, and in harmony with the breath of nature and water. The spirit of respect and preservation of nature is maintained throughout the construction process, bringing a harmonious space for the physical and mental health of residents.   Although Nam Long had been preparing for it since 2000, it wasn't until October 2019 that the company officially introduced the first products under the Waterpoint brand to the market. In 2020, Nam Long began delivering 600 commercial townhouses, garden townhouses, semi-detached villas, and detached villas from the Valora product line, welcoming residents to settle down. 

It took nearly 20 years for the developer to build a foundation for a prosperous community by the river, pioneering the trend of green, healthy, peaceful, convenient, and connected living. At present, in addition to the 3-hectare Country Club sports complex, the bus system, the riverfront community club - Rivera 1 boat dock, and Aquaria, which have already been put into operation, the developer has continuously added new amenities and services such as convenience stores, restaurants, cooperation in building the Emasi Plus International Bilingual Boarding School (expected to enroll students in August of this year), healthcare, etc. 

According to Nam Long representatives, the Waterpoint facility system is designed to serve up to 30,000 people simultaneously without being overloaded. One of the differences in the Waterpoint product strategy is that the developer does not limit themselves to a fixed product line but rather develops a diverse range of segments to meet many customer groups. 

The products include EHome Southgate - affordable apartments, the Valora product line including garden townhouses, commercial townhouses, semi-detached villas, and detached villas for middle to high-income classes. For the luxury segment, Nam Long launched the Grand Villa exclusively for the wealthy elite with a sophisticated lifestyle. 

Among them, Park Village is the latest component project at Waterpoint, inspired by peaceful European villages. The project consists of three main product lines: Canal Grand Villa, Park Grand Villa, and Garden Grand Villa. In every product line, Nam Long has successfully conquered the market by understanding the needs to deliver the right and sufficient values. It's not about the initial overwhelming feeling, but the attention to detail in each product, from small details like wide and airy windows to letting in natural light, green fences in the compound to connect the community instead of a high concrete wall. 

This balance and sufficiency can only be fully felt by those who enjoy it for a few days, months, or years. At Waterpoint, this feeling will be elevated into sweet family memories and the pride of many generations. Nearly 20 years since laying the first bricks, Waterpoint is gradually spreading the image of an integrated livable urban area, accompanying the development of urban planning in Long An. The once reclaimed land is transforming every day, turning into the most livable township in the southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.

 The township is evidence of a journey of perseverance: the perseverance to create a quality living space; the perseverance to reconcile international standards and the local identity of the river region; the perseverance to build a prosperous community; and the perseverance to cultivate enduring values. It's not by chance that some people, even though they already own a collection of real estate in the inner city of Ho Chi Minh City, still choose to pay for a Grand Villa by the Vam Co Dong river. It's also not by chance that some people, even though they work in Ho Chi Minh City, still choose to "leave the city" every day and live in Waterpoint. 

All because they have "fallen in love" with the early morning sunshine pouring in through the windows, the blossoming flowers in front of their homes, the meandering canals, or the lush green parks for children to fly kites... Above all, every resident of "the city by the river" deeply feels that Waterpoint is a place to return to, to connect with the original and beautiful values of life. Love and family ties are also written and extended through generations from there.

Source: Zing news