Makeover for Phnom Penh's iconic Central Market

May 25, 2011
ABC Radio Australia

Phnom Penh's iconic Central Market or Psar Thmei will be officially re-inaugurated after seven years of renovations.

The market is a "must-see" for tourists to Cambodia's capital, but it is also an important economic hub for the people of Phnom Penh.

Presenter: Robert Carmichael

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

CARMICHAEL: Phnom Penh's Central Market was built in 1937 when Cambodia was still under French colonial rule. The vast central dome, painted yellow, has been an icon of the capital city ever since. This French-designed steel and concrete structure is best pictured from above: think of a domed central hall with four giant arms protruding at right angles from it. Cambodians call it Psar Thmei, or the New Market. Decades of neglect meant it looked anything but. So 10 years ago the municipality and the French development agency AFD began talking about renovating the Central Market. The six-million-dollar project started in earnest three years ago and has just finished. The main building has undergone a facelift, and the contractors installed a new drainage system and improved sanitation.

Eric Beugnot is AFD's country director. He says the renovation marks the first time the Central Market had been worked on since it was built nearly 75 years ago. He says AFD had two motivations for getting involved in renovating the Central Market. One was to preserve an iconic building of the colonial period. But the other was even more important:

BEUGNOT: There are more than 3,000 merchants in this market. It is a central place and it is important to recreate as some economic environment to stimulate the economy in the centre of this town, this capital. And then have some side effects with tourism, as tourism is one of the four pillars of economic development of Cambodia.

CARMICHAEL: When the Central Market was completed in 1937, its 45-metre diameter dome was the sixth-largest in the world. But Cambodia has a tropical climate and a long rainy season, and some were worried at the market's structural integrity. Mr Beugnot says AFD's restoration teams used probes to assess the state of the concrete.

BEUGNOT: The main surprise that without any renovation during more than 70 years, and after probes of the concrete of the dome, the state of the concrete was excellent - so the building was sound, was very sound.

CARMICHAEL: The Central Market offers tourists and locals alike a vast array of products - from fruit and vegetables to meat and rice, clothes, pirated DVDs, books, stationery, electronics, and tourist trinkets to name a few. In many ways, this market is Cambodia under one roof. Mr Beugnot says the sheer volume of stallholders - 3,000 of them - created its own problem: the market was renovated in stages, and AFD had to persuade ousted vendors to move away until the work was finished. He says the key challenge of the project was to convince those thousands of stallholders that they would indeed get their stall space back.

One of them is 28-year-old Srey Mao. She has three stalls and has been selling here for the past seven years. This particular stall sells designer belts, handbags and wallets - all imported from China.

SREY MAO: Many quality and many model.

CARMICHAEL: I'm just seeing there are a lot of brands - Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Diesel, Armani, Versace, Mont Blanc, Hilfiger, Dolce & Gabbana: So many brands. Is anything real?

SREY MAO: Anything not real - copy for all (LAUGHS).

CARMICHAEL: Srey Mao's fake luxury goods stall has always stood outside the main building in an area that was once a garden. Over the decades hundreds of stallholders moved on to the land and rigged up tarpaulins to protect them from Cambodia's torrential downpours.

But the tarpaulins weren't very effective, so the renovators replaced them with a curved concrete roof. Srey Mao says that has helped - her stock no longer gets rained on, and business is up. And although her costs have gone up a little, she says they are manageable.

SREY MAO: Most of the stallholders at the Central Market like the renovations. We have had some customers visit because they heard it was being renovated and they wanted to come and see it. And even those who haven't come to see it will do so soon, because people are interested in the renovations.

CARMICHAEL: So far, so good then with AFD's express purpose of this renovation: to help keep the city centre alive economically. AFD's Mr Beugnot also credits the market's architect for a visionary piece of design that has relevance today: the temperature during Cambodia's hot season can reach 40 degrees Centigrade, but the Central Market has no air-conditioning, and instead relies on airflow to keep people cool.

CARMICHAEL: Unquestionably it's a green building, isn't it, in terms of environmental friendliness?

BEUGNOT: Yes, it is very modern. It is very modern. It was built 80 years ago, but it could be an example for modern buildings.

CARMICHAEL: As Phnom Penh modernizes there are plenty of new buildings going up, but it is hard to imagine many of them will last 80 years, far less inspire anyone to renovate them. The chances are that the Central Market will outlive them and remain a much-loved fixture for locals and tourists alike for decades to come.