A retail mall, Republic Plaza Saigon, will be part of a Ho Chi Minh City complex being developed by Thuy Duong-Duc Binh Trading.

Anchoring the project is a 350-room Holiday Inn & Suites hotel – the first of that brand in Vietnam.Holiday Inn is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which already has six properties in Vietnam including the award-winning InterContinental Asiana Saigon, InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort and Crowne Plaza West Hanoi.

Another partner in the new project is low-cost carrier VietJet Air, along with HD Bank.

Scheduled to open in 2018, the complex is close to Tan Son Nhat International Airport and major industrial park areas such as Binh Duong, Dai Nong and Saigon Hi Tech Park. It will be connected to the city via the upcoming metro system.

There will also be apartments in the development, and the hotel will feature an all-day restaurant, cafe and pool bar. It will also have eight meeting rooms and a business centre.

In the next three to five years, IHG plans to double its presence with another six hotels in Vietnam.