Hard times for bustling commercial centres in Hanoi

Artemis commercial centre, one of the busiest commercial centres in Hanoi, has been stuck in a "frozen" state, with only a few offices and stores remaining in operation. Two months ago Vietcombank's transaction office left the building to move to another location.

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Major brands have moved out of the centre, leaving the bulk of damaged equipment there.

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An entertainment area for children has been closed for several months.

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Many prime locations with a rental cost at about US$50 per square metre on offer have been abandoned for months.

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Located in the most crowded area in the capital, the Mipec Tower commercial center in Dong Da District is now empty.

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A restaurant has shut down for months.

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Commercial centres in Hanoi are known as golden places for business. However, since the COVID-19 outbreak many centres have fallen into crisis amid more spaces being left vacant.

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Without renters, the owner of Mipec Tower is taking time to upgrade the facilities.

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The Discovery Complex commercial centre in Cau Giay district has been left fairly deserted over recent times, in contrast to previous years.

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The eight-floor Discovery Complex centre is now deserted with few customers.

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The closure of large stores and famous brands leads to a significant decline in the number of customers going shopping. Now there are only a couple of shops selling accessories with very few customers.