Due to its limitations in recent years, Da Nang’s Con Mart, dubbed the largest wholesale and retail venue in Central Viet Nam, is in need of being given ‘a new coat’ in order to better suit the image of a tourist and civilized commercial centre.

The cost for rebuilding the Con Market will come from the city budget. Photo: Q.TRANG

A commercial and tourist destination

The Con Market was built in December 1984 on a total area of ​​nearly 14,000m² on Ong Ich Khiem and Hung Vuong streets. It was officially inaugurated in March 1985, with the name of ‘The Da Nang Commercial Centre’. However, city-dwellers often call it ‘Con Market’.

In 2012, the municipal People’s Council issued a resolution to change the name ‘Da Nang Commercial Centre’ to ‘Con Market’.

Since being put into use, the Con Market has quickly become the largest commercial hub in Da Nang, and one of the largest wholesale and retail markets in Central Viet Nam. The bustle of the market contributes to the formation of large commercial areas on the roads adjacent to the market.

Additionally, the Con Market is also the most famous tourist and specialty market in Da Nang. On Tet and other public holidays, the venue welcomes thousands of visitors every day. In the market, visitors mainly enjoy delicious dishes and specialties of the coastal city. Besides, the local dried specialties and fish sauce are also popular with tourists.

Mrs. Kim Hong who is selling local dried specialties at the Con Market, said the market has been ‘positioned’ as a specialty market of the city, so most of tourists come here to buy specialties. Prices of goods are displayed clearly.

Moreover, small businesses are also flexible with non-cash payment methods such as wire transfer and QR code scanning, bringing the convenience of buyers when they do not carry a lot of money.

Currently, the Con Market is now home to 2,111 business households, including 1,682 permanent and about 429 non-permanent households, according to data from the Da Nang Markets Development and Management Company.

A recent survey shows that the current arrangement of commodity lines is not reasonable. For instance, areas displaying cattle meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, tubers, fruits, melons and fish sauce or processed foods but not prepackaged such as meat, dried seafood and spices are very smelly and easy to spread to the environment, affecting other commodities. These goods need to be arranged in separate blocks to facilitate the efficient exploitation of market activities, and at the same time to serve the construction of a civilized, commercial and food safety market.

The Con Market is in urgent need of being rebuilt in a bid to turn itselft into a tourist and commercial market. Photo: Q.TRANG

Con Market in urgent need of rebuilding

Over a long period of operation, the Con Market has been restored and repaired many times, but now its technical infrastructure, auxiliary works, equipment system and some items have deteriorated.

Also, the management and arrangement of stall areas are not suitable and inconsistent, causing difficulties in organizing business activities, ensuring environmental sanitation, and developing a food safety market model.

Therefore, the venue is in urgent need of being rebuilt in a bid to preserve and promote the specific values of the traditional market, and fully ensure the conditions for developing a civilized and modern market in accordance with the city’s orientation for the development of the economic and social infrastructure system in line with Prime Minister-approved adjustments to the city's master plan to 2030, with a vision towards 2045.

Furthermore, the rebuilding of the Con market is not only due to urgent requirements but also the inevitable development trend of Da Nang urban area.

This investment aims to contribute to the renovation and modernization of the trade-service system, reorganizing the order of traditional market business in the direction of commercial civilization to meet the development needs of city-oriented commercial and service activities.

In fact, the plan on rebuilding the Con Market has been developed by the municipal People's Committee since 2016.

Following the direction of the People's Committee, the city’s Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with relevant units to propose the Con Market rebuilding plan as well as organize a contest to seek the best architectural design for the Con Market.

However, the reconstruction of the Con Market has not been carried out because of legal problems in determining the investment capital source and form.

Director of the Department of Industry and Trade Le Thi Kim Phuong informed that through research the form of investment in Con market with public investment capital was the most suitable. The construction according to public investment capital is in accordance with the provisions of law and ensures to create favorable conditions for the management of the market's activities in the future, especially bringing benefits to small traders in the market.

If the investment preparation is favourable, it is expected that the Con Market will be rebuilt during the 2024-2025 period, she added.

Reporting by QUYNH TRANG - Translating by M.DUNG