End of an era for Old Talat Sao The oldest part of Talat Sao (Morning Market) will soon be demolished to allow the site to be incorporated into the new development, spelling the end of an era for the old market site. Vientiane authorities have issued a deadline to merchants and retailers in the U-shaped block of Talat Sao to move by August 30 when demolition will commence to make way for the upgrade. More than 400 shops and retailers will be moved into the new Talat Sao Mall 1 and 2, the ASEAN Mall and other locations. Vientiane Vice Mayor Dr Anouphap Tounalom announced the imminent closure of the old part of Talat Sao on Wednesday. He said Talat Sao was built and opened in 1953, located in the heart of Vientiane, providing a valuable service to Vientiane shoppers for many years. Morning market traders have sold goods, industrial and handicraft products, fruit and vegetables, meat and fish as well as various other goods to members of the public, satisfying their shopping needs. In 1989, merchants raised funds to repair and build the market into a U-shaped block which was completed in 1991, Dr Anouphap recalled. “Our country has opened itself to foreign investment and trade and the exchange of goods has expanded dramatically,” he said. “This has required us to develop modern services and infrastructure, provide competitive and also suppress disorderly and illegal marketplaces.” With this in mind, the government gave a Singaporean investor approval to redevelop Talat Sao into a modern shopping centre in 2003-2004. Talat Sao Malls I and II Dr Anouphap said the project to redevelop Talat Sao has been divided into three phases. In phase 1, the investors built a five-storey building with 200 rooms covering 23,000 square metres. For phase 2, the investors built an eight-storey building, containing 1,200 rooms with a floor space of 65,000 square metres. Phase 3 will commence soon, with the investors planning to demolish the existing U-shaped block surrounding this site and integrate it with the new two buildings. Vientiane authorities, Talat Sao Shopping Mall Company, and merchants met to discuss contracts and rental fees at the mall. At the meeting they agreed to exempt the rental fees for relocated retailers for the first six months, but after that they will be required to pay US$150 per month. In the second year, the company will charge US$200 per month and US$ 300 per month for the third year. The rental fees for the following years will be adjusted according to GDP of the country. The investors will be required to pay the government about US$1.7 million for property compensation. Authorities urged merchants to move immediately because the company will cut off electricity and fence off the construction site at the end of the month.
