HCM City (VNA) - DeputyPrime Minister Pham Binh Minh has agreed in principle to build an undergroundshopping centre in downtown Ho Chi Minh City along side the city’s first metroline project.

The deputy PM has asked themunicipal people’s committee to seek funds from Official Development Assistance(ODA) loans to develop the Ben Thanh underground shopping centre project.

The city administration has beenasked to work with the ministries of Planning and Investment, Construction andFinance to choose the most appropriate solution and report to the Governmentfor consideration.

The underground 90 metre-wideand 500 metre-long shopping area will run from Ben Thanh Market to the HCM CityOpera House at a depth of three metres under Le Loi Street.

With an area of 45,000 squaremetres, the shopping centre will be the largest underground shopping centre inVietnam, according to Bui Xuan Cuong, head of the management board of the urbanrailways in HCM City.

Stores will face each other inthe shopping area, enabling the space in the middle to function as a walkingstreet, Cuong said, adding that the underground walking street will beconnected with the Nguyen Hue pedestrian street.

There will also be entrancesthat connect the underground shopping centre with Ben Thanh market, stores andoffice buildings above ground in the downtown area.

The underground trade centrewill require an investment of around 7 trillion VND (326.22 million USD).

The project has so far attractedonly one interested investor from Japan, which has suggested funding 30 percentof the project, while the remaining would be covered by the VietnameseGovernment.

If approved, the undergroundshopping centre will be constructed along with the Ben Thanh central station ofthe under-construction metro route in the southern metropolis.

From the central station,passengers can board the trains on three different routes to Suoi TienAmusement Park in District 9, Tham Luong Depot in District 12, and Mien Tay(Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan District under a megaproject running from2012 to 2023.

Construction of Ben Thanhcentral station and an underground section from there to the Opera House underthe city’s first metro line began last month.

It is the last of four phases ofthe 19.7 km metro line linking Ben Thanh market in District 1 to Suoi TienAmusement Park in District 9.

Of the 19.7 km, 2.6 km isunderground. It will have three underground and 11 elevated stations.

The test runs will begin in 2019and service a year later, two years behind schedule. The metro route is fundedby Japan and reciprocal capital from the city.-VNA