New Convention Center for Vietnam
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 5/14/2007
Ground has been broken on the new Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The first phase of the new facility, scheduled to open in October 2008, will feature a single column-free exhibit hall, meeting rooms, restaurants and outdoor exhibition areas.
The exhibit hall will span 9,144 square meters (98,400 square feet). Once completed, the center will offer four indoor exhibit halls totaling 40,000 sq. m. (430,500 sq. ft.), 15,000 to 20,000 sq. m. (161,400 to 215,000 sq. ft.) of outdoor exhibit space, a 2,000-seat convention center, a high-rise office tower and two hotels with a total of 1,000 rooms.
Ho Chi Minh City's only existing exhibition facility, the Ho Chi Minh City Intl. Exhibition & Convention Centre, offers 6,438 sq. m. (69,300 sq. ft.) of exhibit space.
The project, with an estimated cost of $200 million, is a joint venture of Saigontourist Holding (with 60 percent of the equity) and Phu My Hung (40 percent).
Do Quoc Thong of Ho Chi Minh City's tourism department said he hopes the new center will spur development of the meetings and convention business in Vietnam, which already is viewed as an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world.
That still may be an uphill battle, according to Deputy General Tourism Director Pham Tu, who said Vietnam still lacks a sufficient number of large, high-quality hotels, restaurants and recreation opportunities.
