The ambition of
Laos to turn Vientiane into a city equivalent to Singapore or Bangkok justifies
all construction activities in the Laotian capital. With Chinese money flooding
into the country, such a move bears also the risk to alter the charm of the
city and turn it into a replica of a Chinese suburb.
VIENTIANE- Since Laos opened up its economy 15 years ago,
the country has been embarked into a modernization process, offering land
concessions, financial incentives to whoever is interested to invest. And for
the last decade, China has been increasingly visible all around the country
with Vientiane being particularly wooed by Chinese investors. Experts see
Vientiane being turned into China’s outpost within the ASEAN (Association of
Southeast Asian Nations). The presence of China goes back to 2000 but this is
only over the last three years that this Chinese presence has turned ubiquitous.
Between 2009 and 2010, total trade between China and Laos increased by 44% just
in a year time, growing from US$ 75.2 million to US$ 108.5 million.
Construction with signs of Chinese companies can be seen
everywhere in the streets of the once-old fashioned, laid-back small capital.
Vientiane had in the early years of 2000 ago some 600,000 inhabitants; twelve
years later, population is in Vientiane is now estimated to reach 800,000
people. Authorities even believe that by 2030, this population will even
double, the equivalent of over 1.5 million inhabitants.
The race to modernization has definitely started to turn
Vientiane into a contemporary metropolis. Unfortunately, little seems to be
learned from neighbours and Vientiane is inexorably condemned to look in a few
years like any other large city in Southeast Asia.
They are projects everywhere to accommodate growth. From
the old Morning Market in the city centre, just two half buildings remain
squeezed between blocks of offices with the charm of a Soviet hospital. Around
Wat Phou (Fountain Square), the heart of the old town, constructions are
everywhere. The square but also surrounding buildings are now modernized.
The biggest project to date is “Glory of Laos”, a massive
development stretching on 42 km2 of land along the Mekong with 700,000 square
metre of development. “Glory of Laos” aims to turn Vientiane into a
mini-replica of Hong Kong with 8 to 10 skyscapers lining along the Mekong
–including the highest in the country at over 100 meters. The project
integrates also a huge shopping mall as well as cultural and tourism centre.
Some 50 villas will be also achieved before November to welcome the ASEM Summit
between Europe and Asia. The real estate development project is consisting of
the International Cultural and Tourist Centre as well as the International
Residence Centre. The International Cultural and Tourist Center will be Laos’
first pedestrian zone with shops, bars, nightclubs and etc. and will stand next
to the new shopping mall. The International Residence Centre will cater for
expats living in the capital.
Behind the famed pagoda of That Luang, one thousand
hectare of land has been attributed to a Chinese company to build a modern kind
of Chinatown with blocks of apartments lining-up along vast streets. However,
protests from locals forced the authorities to scale down the project. In
Chanthaboury District, a new area is under development into a new urban centre
under supervision of a Japanese company, Nikken Sekkei Civil Engineering Co.
Ltd. Japan will however only conduct a survey and look at the most appropriate
design for urban planning in this area.
The redesign exercise is part of a draft master plan from
authorities to develop Vientiane until 2030. The plan is to make Vientiane an
easier city to live in. Under the new development policy, Vientiane will be
divided into zones to make it easier for the business sector. Zoning areas
include Vientiane industrial park, Nong Ping Development Area and the
international airport reservation zone. These areas will help preserving the
structure of the old city centre. The master plan caps the height of buildings
in historical town conservation zones to 12 metres while in the oldest parts of
Vientiane, height will be capped at 7 metres.
Despite this regulation, the destruction of many old houses go unabated.
Latest victim to this destructive furry is a magnificent colonial villa, facing
the National Library and Nam Phou, Fountain Square. It just made way to a
hideous new construction, which will be a “boutique” shopping mall…
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