The proposed site for the shopping centre is underneath Le Loi Street. This street is one of the main thoroughfares leading away from the downtown Ben Thanh market. The station at the market will be the terminus of the 20km-long subway Line 1 from Suoi Tien.
The blueprint for the as yet unnamed shopping centre sees it stretch for 700 metres along Le Loi. It will be three metres deep and 60 metres across. The initial budget assessment for the project is almost US$330 million and an initial tender has only drawn one enquiry from one Japanese investor.
If the shopping centre project comes to fruition, its location near Ben Thanh will perfectly complement Ho Chi Minh’s shopping options. Vendors at the market sell a whole plethora of products including traditional clothing, the nation’s ubiquitous coffee and filter pots, and ethnic souvenirs.
Ho Chi Minh to build underground shopping centre
News in Asia
Municipal authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have released news of an ambitious project to build a huge subterranean shopping centre. Media sources in the South Vietnamese metropolis say the mall will be a part of a new underground rail system slated to run its first passenger services in 2023.