Living in Phu My Hung: Crescent Lake, Family Life and Apartments
Living in Phu My Hung means a planned, green township built around Crescent Lake — Crescent Mall and AEON close by, top international schools, and a large Korean and Japanese community. This guide covers the lifestyle, the apartment areas and rents, and the one catch: the commute to District 1.
If Thao Dien is HCMC’s café-and-villa expat hub, Phu My Hung is its planned-township opposite: wide leafy boulevards, parks, gated condo communities and a lake at the centre of it all. For many families — especially Korean and Japanese ones — living in Phu My Hung is the easy answer: top international schools, Crescent Mall and an AEON supermarket close by, and a calm, orderly feel that central Saigon can’t match. This local guide covers the Crescent Lake lifestyle, the apartment areas and 2026 rents, and the one trade-off you have to be honest about — the commute to District 1.
Where Phu My Hung is today
Phu My Hung is the master-planned area of southern HCMC, often still called “District 7” by residents though the 2025 ward reform split it into wards including Tan My (Crescent Mall, Crescent Lake, the Japanese School, CIS) and Tan Hung (RMIT, SSIS, the Sky Garden side). Developed to international standards as Vietnam’s first recognised “model urban area,” it’s built around a clear logic: a commercial-and-lake city centre, ringed by residential blocks, with schools and parks woven through. The main axes to know are Nguyen Van Linh (the big boulevard), Nguyen Luong Bang (the newer condo spine), Nguyen Duc Canh (the established school-and-family axis) and Ton Dat Tien (Crescent Lake).
Crescent Lake and The Crescent: the lifestyle heart
The social centre of Phu My Hung is Crescent Lake (Ho Ban Nguyet), a 3.4-hectare crescent of water ringed by a waterfront promenade, the photogenic Starlight Bridge, and Crescent Mall (101 Ton Dat Tien) — 200+ shops over six floors with an AEON supermarket in the basement and a cinema. The dining is genuinely good: El Gaucho steakhouse and Pizza 4P’s sit in The Crescent, with San Fu Lou, Highlands Coffee, Haidilao and more in and around the mall. It’s also event-heavy — the annual Lawrence S. Ting Charity Walk, a Children’s Day at P2 Park, and seasonal Crescent sales — and the city has approved a pilot walking/culinary street around the lake. In short, it’s the rare HCMC pocket where evening strolls, family dining and a full mall are all on the water. For groceries specifically, see our guide to international supermarkets in HCMC.
Why expat families choose Phu My Hung
Schools. This is the big one. RMIT University‘s Saigon South campus (702 Nguyen Van Linh), Saigon South International School (SSIS, EC–12 with AP and IB), the Canadian International School (CIS) and the Japanese School in HCMC are all here, which is why so many school-led families settle in PMH rather than commute across the city.
Community. Phu My Hung is widely known as HCMC’s “Korea Town,” with large Korean and Japanese populations alongside Western and Vietnamese residents — which means Korean and Japanese restaurants, groceries and services are everywhere.
Space and safety. The draw is the planned-township feel: wide pavements, parks, gated communities and a calmer, more orderly environment than central Saigon — consistently rated one of the best areas in the city for families.
Apartment areas in Phu My Hung
Phu My Hung’s residential blocks don’t have individual pages on our site, so think in areas, then browse what’s available on the Phu My Hung apartments page. The main clusters:
- Midtown (Nguyen Luong Bang) — the newest high-rise condos, polished and central to the PMH business core.
- Riverpark / Riverpark Premier (Nguyen Duc Canh) — premium, low-rise-feel family living on the school side.
- Sky Garden (Pham Van Nghi) — older and established, the most practical price tier.
- Scenic Valley & Happy Valley (Nguyen Van Linh) — popular higher-end family condos with easy car access to Crescent Mall and the schools.
| Area | Feel | 2026 rent (furnished, indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Sky Garden | Established, best value | 2BR $550–700 · 3BR $700–900 |
| Scenic Valley | High-end family | 2BR $780–1,300 · 3BR $1,100–2,100 |
| Midtown | Newer high-rise | 1BR ~$900 · 2BR $1,100–1,300 · 3BR $1,850–2,500 |
| Happy Valley | High-end family | 3BR $1,000–1,600 |
| Riverpark Premier | Premium, school-side | 3BR $2,000–3,000 |
As a rough area benchmark, mid-range PMH furnished apartments run about $600–680 for a 1-bedroom, $760–1,040 for a 2-bedroom and $1,100–1,600 for a 3-bedroom; the high-end blocks sit above that. These are 2026 listing samples and move with furnishing, floor and lease length — for a fuller pricing and supply breakdown, see our Phu My Hung rental market report.
The catch: commuting to District 1
For most PMH families this is a fair trade — the schools, space and calm outweigh the distance, and many households are based around the schools rather than a downtown office. But it’s the single biggest reason PMH suits some renters and frustrates others.
Who Phu My Hung suits — and who it doesn’t
Great fit if you want
- International schools and a family-first environment
- A Korean or Japanese community, food and services
- Parks, wide pavements and a genuinely walkable township
- A calmer, safer-feeling, planned neighbourhood
Look elsewhere if you want
- A short daily commute to a District 1 office
- Central nightlife and a dense, urban street scene
- The café-and-boutique buzz of Thao Dien
- To be near the Saigon River expat core (Binh Thanh/Thu Thiem)
Weighing PMH against the other big family area? Our head-to-head, Thao Dien vs Phu My Hung for expat families, breaks down schools, lifestyle, rent and commute side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is Phu My Hung a good place to live for expats?
Yes, especially for families. It’s planned, green, safe-feeling and packed with international schools, a big Korean/Japanese community, Crescent Mall, AEON and parks. The main downside is the distance to District 1.
Where do Korean and Japanese families live in HCMC?
Predominantly Phu My Hung — it’s often called HCMC’s “Korea Town,” with concentrated Korean and Japanese communities, restaurants, groceries and the Japanese School in HCMC.
How far is Phu My Hung from District 1?
Roughly 20–30 minutes by car off-peak, but 45–60 minutes or more at rush hour or in heavy rain. It’s a planned township, not a walk-to-downtown location, so test the commute before committing.
What international schools are in Phu My Hung?
RMIT University’s Saigon South campus, Saigon South International School (SSIS), the Canadian International School (CIS) and the Japanese School in HCMC are all in or beside Phu My Hung.
What are the main apartment areas in Phu My Hung?
Midtown (newer high-rise), Riverpark/Riverpark Premier (premium, school-side), Sky Garden (established, best value) and Scenic Valley/Happy Valley (higher-end family condos). Rents range from around $550 for a value 2-bed up to $3,000+ for a premium 3-bed.
The short version
- Phu My Hung is HCMC’s planned family township, built around Crescent Lake, Crescent Mall and AEON.
- It’s the city’s strongest area for international schools and the Korean/Japanese community.
- Apartment areas: Sky Garden (value), Scenic/Happy Valley and Midtown (mid–high), Riverpark Premier (premium).
- 2026 rents run roughly $550–700 (value 2-bed) up to $2,000–3,000+ (premium 3-bed).
- The catch: District 1 is 20–30 min off-peak but 45–60+ at rush hour — test it if you commute downtown.
Find an apartment in Phu My Hung
Tell us your school, budget and whether you want a newer high-rise, a value family flat or a premium school-side home, and we’ll match you to the right Phu My Hung block. We help foreign tenants through viewings, lease negotiation and move-in, with no fee charged to tenants.
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