Shoppers in Hanoi can expect to see more open-air lifestyle centres than closed-in, windowless malls, if a proposed redevelopment plan for the capital city is approved, says the Hanoi Department of Industry and Commerce.

The ambitious plans for the revamp includes demolishing and renovating many of the existing buildings and constructing an expansive network of open air walkable retail plaza centres by 2020, said Tran Thi Phuong Lan, vice director of the Department.

Currently, the city has roughly 133 supercentres, 27 large malls, with hundreds of convenience stores and traditional open air markets scattered throughout the metropolitan area, said MrLan.

In the last five years, eight new modern shopping malls anchored by international foreign brands such as Lotte and AEON out of Japan and the Republic of Korea have sprung up in the city suburbs.

However, according to the results of a recent study commissioned by the Department most respondents think the shopping centres are too widely distributed and want them more highly concentrated.

They also think shopping at the newer shopping centres is much too expensive, they provide low quality services, create innumerable traffic problems and result in an inordinate amount of air pollution, said MrLan.

Particularly, customers are dissatisfied with the underground parking areas at many of the shopping centres, where they are exposed to dangerously high levels of air pollution.

The respondents said they wanted the centres repositioned as open-air, walkable retail plazas that are more pedestrian-friendly shopping areas offering more a ‘open air main street’ experience.

Most importantly, however, said the MrLan, respondents said they want the city to build shopping centres more along the lines of traditional markets, where vendors can both buy and sell their wares.

They believe open air markets are not only less expensive, but provide vegetables and other produce that is much fresher and tastier than that provided in the larger centres that is often overpriced and of dubious quality and origin.

The markets also provide for a much more diverse selection of goods, said MrLan, and the active streetscapes are inviting to shoppers and engage the community with street-entry stores and restaurants.

The plans for the new open air infrastructure have yet to be formally finalized, but could go up for approval in the near future.  Developers would then need to be found with the aim of work starting by the end of the year.

MrLan told the media the plan was to build something with a ‘Hanoi flavour’ rather than just copying developments in other cities.

The large empty supermarkets in shopping malls and supercentres with their poorly planned underground parking could be a thing of the past in Hanoi if redevelopment plans come to fruition.

MrLan said: "The regeneration of the capital city of Hanoi is a key priority not just for the Department but for the people of Vietnam as a whole.”

“A new, vibrant Hanoi is of benefit not just to the residents and businesses of the capital city, but to people across Vietnam.”

"We want to develop a thriving, vibrant and viable city. We don't want to copy from elsewhere but we do want to learn from other successful developments.”

"Our new city centre needs to be unique and retain a special Hanoi identity and character that cannot be found anywhere else around the globe."

VOV