Lane Xang Arcade, new shopping mall in town !

Goodbye swimming pool, Hello Lane Xang Arcade! The Lane Xang Hotel has given up its underused swimming pool and spa area to pave the way for construction of a new shopping and restaurant complex, the Lane Xang Arcade. Little media attention has been given to this project, however it promises to be a new destination for shopping and eating, and if all goes to plan, catching a movie or two as well.

 

Many Vientiane residents will observe this project with some skepticism, however. We’ve been promised shopping malls before but they’ve never turned out to be anything other than oversized gold shops with a few chinese junk stores thrown in and a couple of noodle stands for good measure. The Morning Market Shopping Mall fizzled out before it even began and the much-hyped Regal Megamall seems to be going nowhere, fast.

 

 

Mr. Somsack Phrasonthi, Financial Adviser of Thepamnoy Construction Company, assures WorkLiveLaosthat all is smooth sailing as far as his project is concerned. The planned Lane Xang Arcade will be 5 storeys tall, with the first floor consisting of banking services by ST Bank, the second floor showcasing local products and handicrafts as well as Lane Xang Hotel facilities and the third and fourth floors to house well-known restaurants such as MK Restaurant. The fifth floor will be reserved for a 6 theatre cinema multiplex. Best of all, because the mall is located on hotel grounds, it is able to stay open until midnight every day of the week, unlike other malls in Vientiane which close around 5pm.

 

When complete, the building will be made almost entirely of steel and tempered glass with wraparound balconies on every floor for dining al fresco and a superb view of Vientiane Capital. This apparently makes construction easier and faster, and after the foundations are laid the structure should only take 8 months to complete. Opening day is scheduled for Lao New Year of 2013.

 

The 3.8 million US dollar investment includes a concession of 10 years from the Lane Xang Hotel, a joint venture between the Lao Government, who hold 30% and Vietnamese investors who hold 70%. Lane Xang Arcade is already almost fully booked, however some commercial space is still available for a 9 year lease period, paid in advance at 1,800 USD per square metre over 9 years.

 

 

The most interesting thing about the project, however, is that it will be Asia’s first scented shopping centre and perhaps the first in the entire world. That’s right: scented shopping centre. The same group that is in charge of the project is also responsible for a type of nanotechnology unique to Laos that strips scents from plants and infuses the scent permanently onto fabrics or other materials. It’s a complicated process that requires further study to fully understand, however the company plans to spray scents particular to Laos onto the windows, walls and columns of the Arcade for tourists to enjoy. Some rooms will smell of Agarwood, others the unmistakable scent of Frangipani, or Dok Champa. So when the project is complete and you feeling like going on a shopping spree, you only need to follow your nose!

 

Source: Worklivelaos

 

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