Ben Thanh Market, tourist shopping hub and icon of old Saigon, may one day have some competition beneath its feet.
A proposal is in the works which aims to construct a VND8.4 trillion (US$378 million) underground complex beneath the commercial center, reports VnExpress. Though the project has been in talks since last year, new information on the Japanese-led development places its start date around the end of 2019 and has the complex reaching completion by early 2024.
If given the go-ahead, the project would connect the Ben Thanh and Opera House metro stations, spanning four stories below ground and covering a total of 45,400 square meters. The development would also include a subterranean walking street, public square, shops and other accoutrements.
To make the project a reality, the municipal government would provide VND5 trillion (US$225 million) of the project's capital, while the rest would come from investors. Though the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has already given its seal of approval to the company's project, the proposal still has to pass through the Ministry of Planning and Investment before receiving the official green light.
[Rendering via Zing]
