The Yangon night market that was promised earlier this month officially opened last night, stretching along Strand Road from Kyauktada to Lanmadaw township.
Although it was previously reported that the market would be open from 5:30pm to 11pm, the actual operating hours are from 3pm to 11pm every day.
“In downtown Yangon, traffic is congested and it’s difficult to walk on the sidewalks. This market is one of our first solutions to these problems. Now that there is a designated place where vendors can open their stalls, the citizens of Yangon can freely and safely use the sidewalks”, Yangon Region Chief Minster U Phyo Min Thein told 7Day Daily.
Spaces in the market come in three different size categories: 32, 36, and 64 square feet. The largest shops will be charged K300 per day while the small shops will be charged K150.
Each shop will have to pay for electricity, which costs K7000 per month. Other services, such as mobile toilets, cleaning, and water, will also be provided by the YCDC at a fee.
The market has enough space for 1600 vendors. Even though that sounds like a lot, there is an estimated 6000 vendors currently operating in downtown Yangon.
Additionally, vendors will soon be banned from the 11 main avenues that make up the downtown area. Those who cannot get a spot in the market have been told to set up work on side streets.
That’s approximately 3,400 vendors (and maybe even more) crammed into the tiny one-way side streets of downtown. Sure, that doesn’t sound like a disaster at all.
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