Asiatique: Bangkok’s new shopping attraction

Asiatique The Riverfront is Bangkok’s newest open mall shopping district that when completed will house 1,500 stores along with restaurants and theaters to serve the ever-growing number of tourists that visit Thailand and also its local populace looking for bargains. Photo: Rhony Laigo

Some twenty-five years ago, Bangkok and Hong Kong were the shopping meccas for RTWs (ready-to-wear clothes) as far as Filipinos were concerned. Those three letters then were the most widely used term for these production line-manufactured clothing that would soon force neighborhood custom tailors to close shop. For a Filipino journalist who covered the airport for years, bales of RTWs from Bangkok and the former British colony that swamped the airport terminal somewhat revolutionized the clothing industry in Manila, where I grew up, in the sense that suddenly fine-looking wardrobe of high quality material became affordable to the average person.

Since signature clothing line were expensive at that time not to mention scarce – they were only available to selected markets where the affluent would shop – RTWs from these Asian cities were most-sought after in the streets of Manila because Filipinos just loved imported items, and unlike the branded ones, buyers can haggle for even lower prices.

Once, I remember entering hotel rooms in Sta. Cruz, Manila with my late sister near Escolta – then the most famous cobbled-stoned street in Manila for high-end shopping – for these RTWs. They were illegal, I was told, but the “knowledgeable” people like my sister flocked the hallways of these hotels where “occupants” peddled clothes from Hong Kong and Bangkok, along with other imported commodities. It was a fledgling industry that allowed many, like myself, to buy and wear fashionable clothes. Whereas before Hong Kong was so popular because Hollywood celebrities made it so, Bangkok would soon become a household name in Manila because of their fine quality RTWs as far as the ordinary Manileño like me was concerned.

Fast forward to the present, Bangkok has become a favorite destination to many not just for the “biyaheras” (from the Spanish word viaje which means trip or travel), the term we used to call the travelling Filipino women who used to go to Bangkok and Hong Kong just to buy RTWs to sell in the Philippines. Now, anyone looking for bargains while touring a country rich in old-age cultures, authentic cuisine and fantastic destinations that are known the world over go to Bangkok for a hands-on shop-till-you-drop experience, the Asian version. 

What’s more, Bangkok and other cities in Thailand offer bargain hunters a wide array of just about anything the world has to offer and they are as diverse as the people of Thailand, where vendors use all possible places to market their wares both in land and water. Thailand of course is famous for its floating markets, where sellers paddle their way thru water channels to move their merchandise without worrying about other overhead expenses that shops need to bear.

Just recently, Bangkok opened one of its newest and most modern night markets to meet the growing demands of around 20 million annual visitors while also serving the needs of its local populace. Aptly called Asiatique The Riverfront, the open shopping mall combines the bustle and hustle of a night market, yet classy, and the relaxing character of its slow-moving Chao Phraya River.

Aside from clothes, handicrafts, souvenir items, musical instruments, electronic gadgets and other home merchandise, restaurants, theater and shows make Asiatique The Riverfront a one-stop-shop destination that the 5-11 p.m. nightly schedule may never be enough for anyone to explore the splendor of this sprawling shopping complex. And I’m just talking about District 1 as more shops will be built at Asiatique The Riverfont that will soon boast of some 1,500 shopping stalls, 40 “gastronomic” restaurants and many more outlets that is fully endorsed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

This reporter was able to visit Asiatique just last month, courtesy of TAT, where I was able to purchase high-end printed t-shirts for my friends back at the office. You know, the kind where there are elephants and anything that would say that the shirt had come from Thailand. And when I say high-end, the prints were not just textile paint, they were embossed and glossy…with glitters, I might add. They were selling each for 150 baht ($1 = 30 baht) for a medium size and I was able to buy a few at more or less 125 baht each. By the way, size matters in Thailand as bigger sizes command a higher price. That’s just the way it is there, so you have to “pang” your way to buy your merchandise at a lower price. Don’t worry about negotiating for a better deal, it is to be expected.

 Located along the historical Charoenkrung road, Asiatique The Riverfront is also accessible by ferry boats that ply along the river. Aside from the Waterfront District, Asiatique The Riverfront will also house the Factory District where fashion and designer shops will be put up over a renovated 100-year-old sawmill in the area; a 2,000-square meter Town Square District for restaurants, winery and all other dining pleasures; and the Charoenkrung District where1,000 more shops will be located.

For more information on Asiatique The Riverfront, please visit www.thaiasiatique.com.