Tallest building in Vietnam to open in Oct

KUALA LUMPUR: Vietnam’s tallest building, the Bitexco Financial Tower is scheduled for opening in Oct 2010. Upon completion, the landmark building will rise 68 floors above the heart of Ho Chi Minh City’s business and entertainment district near to both Nguyen Hue street and Ham Nghi street.

The tower will house over 37,000 sq meters of International Grade A office space and over 11,000 sq meters of retail space in a 6-storey retail podium, said Colliers International (Vietnam) in a statement on Jan 7, 2010. Colliers International (Vietnam) has been appointed the exclusive marketing and property management agent for the tower.

It will also feature a Sky Lounge on the 47^th and 48^th floor as well as an Executive Sky Lounge on the 49^th and 50^th floor with unparalleled views of the city.

The retail and office areas will be serviced by Vietnam’s first double-decker Otis elevators which are capable of reaching seven meters per second, far surpassing the city’s fastest existing elevators, said Colliers.

Developer, the Bitexco Group has assembled a high-profile international development team namely Hyundai E&C from Korea as the main contractor and all work is overseen by project management firm Turner International which had experience managing the construction of the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa (formerly known as Burj Dubai) in Dubai as well as Taipei 101 in Taiwan. American architect Carlos Zapata drew inspiration from Vietnam’s national flower, the Lotus for the unique design of the Bitexco Financial Tower.

An artist's impression of the Bitexco Financial Tower - Photo courtesy of Colliers International (Vietnam)