After 3 years of preparation, the Son Tra Night Market project associated with a pedestrian space on the eastern bank of the Han River is scheduled to be opened on 2 September to mark the upcoming National Day.

An artist's impression of the soon-to-be-opened Son Tra night market project associated with pedestrian space (Photo courtesy of the Son Tra District People’s Committee)

This new night market is located along sections of Mai Hac De and Ly Nam De streets, An Hai Tay Ward, Son Tra District.

There will be a total of 152 stalls, 56 of which sell fashionable clothes, bags and footwear, 28 offer food and drinks, and the rest feature specialities, dried seafood, souvenirs, books, pictures and other commodities.

Once it is opened, this venue will daily operate from 6.00pm until midnight.

The project is being developed by the DHTC Da Nang Co Ltd, at a total cost of 2.7 billion VND.

Ms Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai, the Head of the Son Tra District Economic Office, eagerly said all preparatory work for the opening of the night market has been completed.

The soon-to-be-opened market is expected to create a combined tourist and shopping space in the inner city, allowing visitors to comfortably shop, enjoy entertainment services and explore local cultural characteristics, thereby encouraging them to extend their stay in the city.

A section of Ly Nam De Street used to set up the night market

When asked why to set up the night market on the eastern bank of the Han River, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Tran Chi Cuong remarked that this location is very favourable and convenient in terms of transportation.

Ly Nam De Street is in parallel with Vo Van Kiet Street, near the Rong (Dragon) Bridge, and a large public park where events and street arts activities regularly take place.

In addition, the night market site is next to a large vacant area where a parking lot will be built and many future commercial service activities will be carried out.

Last, but not least, the project site is just an only 3-minute ride to a local beach, and it has been a ‘rest stop’ for tourist coaches over recent years.

With regard to Ngu Hanh Son District, the My An Ward-located An Thuong Quarter will be developed into the first tourism area catering to night-time shopping and entertainment activities.

This much-awaited project is waiting for the municipal government’s official approval given to its opening to the public.

The project will be bounded by 4 main streets, namely Hoang Ke Viem to North, Ngo Thi Sy to the South, Chau Thi Vinh Te to the west, and Vo Nguyen Giap to the east.

In detail, the project will be divided into 3 stages, spanning from this year until 2025, with a focus on developing infrastructure facilities, making traffic re-arrangements along internal roads, and constructing a square and underground parking areas.

Once operational, the quarter will become the city’s ‘Pho Tay’ (Street of Foreigners) which offers various drinking and eating services, and attractive night-time entertainment activities for foreign visitors.

Mr Le Minh Hoa, the Head of the Ngu Hanh Son District Economic Office, said infrastructure development for the project is being kept on track, with a focus on installing security cameras, setting up parking areas, planting trees and fulfilling other concerned tasks.

In addition to the An Thuong Quarter, the Ngu Hanh Son District authorities are considering opening a pedestrian-only quarter associated with a night market on a section of Chuong Duong Street, near the eastern end of the Tran Thi Ly Bridge.

The venue will feature stalls, some of which will offer food, drinks and souvenirs. Interestingly, visitors will be entertained with nightly musical shows here.

As for Hai Chau District, the around 40 billion VND Da Nang Night Market and Pedestrian Space project is still pending the green light from the municipal government for its implementation.

This project is expected to be established on an area of 21,000m², stretching about 1,000m, from western end of the Rong (Dragon) Bridge (opposite the APEC Park) to western end of the Nguyen Van Troi.

Hopefully, such shopping venues will offer more nigh-time entertainment spaces in the city, and especially, encourage to visitors to increase their spending and enjoy local cuisine and cultural values.