The area has been fenced off for six years to make way for the construction of the metro.

On January 2, the construction management board of the Saigon metro project announced that they will return the square to the city’s Department of Transportation before April 30, 2020, Tuoi Tre reports.

The area, according to Le Van Quang Nguyen, a specialist from the Management Authority for Urban Railways, covers approximately 3,000 square meters on Le Loi Street. After the square is returned to the transport department, restoration work on the area will start. Nguyen told the news source that the authority overseeing the square restoration will install trees, landscaping and lighting infrastructure. There is no announced timeline for this yet.

In 2014, the square was sectioned off due to the construction of four underground stations of the first line of the metro, which goes back and forth between Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien.

According to the news source, the construction of these stations is close to being finished. The B1 and B3 levels, where metro tickets can be purchased, are currently being fitted out with electrical equipment and control boards.

[Photo via Flickr user Keith Yahl]