The grand opening of the gigantic Aqua City development in Long Hung Village, Việt Nam, east of Ho Chi Minh City, in November 2023 created a wholly new, self-sufficient community in Đồng Nai Province. The Penetron System of crystalline waterproofing products provides permanent protection from deterioration for key concrete structures.
Located in Long Hung Village (Bien Hoa City) in Đồng Nai Province, about 20 km (12 miles) east of Ho Chi Minh City center, the Aqua City development is a completely new, self-sufficient community spread across 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres), including 32 km (20 miles) of river frontage, 385 hectares (950 acres) of rivers, lakes, and ponds, and 260 hectares (642 acres) of parks and wooded areas. The project’s 16,000 apartment units and villas are organized into eight distinct residential satellites: the Suite, Stella, Elite 1-2, Grand Villas, Valencia, and River Park 1.
“The design of Aqua City was inspired by the local culture and architectural styles of the Đồng Nai River region,” adds says Kim Khanh Ngo Xuan, CEO & Managing Director of Penetron Việt Nam. “The project’s modern residences are available as various types of housing to meet the requirements of a typical residential community in Vietnam.”
As a self-sufficient community, Aqua City features a comprehensive and extensive network of amenities. These include Aqua Central Mall (brand retail shops and supermarkets), restaurants (PhinDeli, Xing Fu Tang, Gloria Jean's, Spicy Box, Hotpot Story, etc.), schools, a hospital and healthcare center (with detox facilities), sports facilities (gyms, swimming pools, etc.), The Aqua Marina Center (yacht harbor, aquatic sports center), riverside theater, the Aqua Arena (sports and entertainment complex), health spas (with sauna and hot springs), residences’ clubhouse, game center, movie theater, playgrounds, and Novotel hotel.
Built up over millennia, the Đồng Nai River area is a large floodplain with seasonal silt deposits that have extended and changed the shoreline. As a result, any construction in the region is faced with extremely high groundwater levels in shifting soils.
“Because of pervasive groundwater levels found across the wide-ranging construction site, a reliable waterproofing system for specific building foundations and below-grade structures was a top priority,” points out Kim Khanh Ngo Xuan.
Easily mixed in during batching, PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, was used to treat the concrete foundation slab of the main commercial center in Aqua City. The retaining walls of the complex were topically treated with a combination of PENETRON, a topical crystalline waterproofing material, and PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline waterproofing repair grout, to ensure that all below-grade concrete structures remained impermeable, even under the high hydrostatic pressure of the groundwater.
Once added to the mix or applied to a prepared concrete surface, the active ingredients in Penetron’s crystalline waterproofing products generate a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. This formation permanently self-heals and seals microcracks, pores and capillaries against the penetration of water or liquids from any direction for long-term protection from deterioration.
“The Penetron System performs consistently during the service life of the concrete. The self-healing ability to seal any hairline cracks in the concrete virtually eliminates further concrete-related maintenance or repair,” concludes Kim Khanh Ngo Xuan.
Permanent waterproofing protection: Easily mixed in during batching, PENETRON ADMIX was used to treat the concrete foundation slab of the main commercial center in Aqua City, Việt Nam.
Making concrete impermeable: The active ingredients in the Penetron system create a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete.
