Construction of Vietnam’s first-ever subway hurts nearby business A lacquer vendor is pictured at his store on Nguyen Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City on August 17, 2014. Tuoi Tre Vendors on Nguyen Hue Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, where Vietnam’s first subway is under construction, can hardly sell their stuff these days as it is no longer easy for customers to reach their stores. Tin fences have been erected along the bustling street in the heart of the southern metropolis for construction works to be carried out inside, blocking the way leading to the stores, whose premises are leased for thousands of U.S. dollars a month. Dozens of ancient trees near the construction site have been either relocated or chopped down to make way for the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro system, and nearby vendors too have to ‘sacrifice’ their business for the modern transportation project, scheduled to be commissioned in 2020. Store owners say their business has been frozen, and some are going to give up. “As the number of customers already dropped by 80 percent, I decided to cease business,” the owner of a lacquer store said. Around 400 paintings, worth from VND2 million to VND10 million (US$94-470) each, sit unvisited in dust at the store while the owner has to pay VND100 million ($4,707) a month in leasing fees. “It’s impossible to afford such a cost so I have no choice but to return the premises,” he said. The store will officially close by the end of this month, as his demand to have the leasing fee halved was rejected, the owner said. At a nearby painting store, all of the attendants have been laid off. “What’s the point of employing people while we the owners even have nothing to do at this store?” Hoa, the owner, lamented. With sales slumping by up to 80 percent, Hoa had called on the local tax agency for a tax reduction, but her appeal has gone unheard to date. “We cannot do anything but keep waiting for support from authorities,” she said. The subway abuilding is 19.7 km long, running from District 1 through Binh Thanh District, District 2, District 9 and Thu Duc District in Ho Chi Minh City before reaching Di An Town in neighboring Binh Duong Province. It is designed to have 11 stations in the 17.1km aboveground section while the 2.6km underground part will have three stations. The subway is estimated to cost US$2.49 billion. Tuoi Tre news