South Singapore Malls Rated: VivoCity, Tiong Bahru Plaza and More

The scores, and why

VivoCity, 8/10. The biggest FairPrice you will ever buy beach snacks at before crossing to Sentosa, which is genuinely its best feature and not a joke. Tiong Bahru Plaza, 8/10. Convenient and it has everything, which is the highest compliment a neighbourhood mall gets. HarbourFront Centre, 7/10. Most people only came here before a Batam ferry. Alexandra Central, 6/10. Where you eat when you do not feel like eating at IKEA. Alexandra Retail Centre, 6/10. Not a lot there, but a decent mall. We do this for other regions too, and our MRT station tier list is the same exercise applied to the network.

HarbourFront Centre has actually closed

This one stopped being an opinion and became news. Mapletree Investments closed HarbourFront Centre on 27 July 2026 for redevelopment into a 33-storey commercial building: roughly 123,000 sq m in total, 26 floors of Grade A offices above a five-storey retail podium, plus a 13,000 sq m elevated park next to a new waterfront promenade that will be open to the public. Completion is expected in the first half of 2031. The Singapore Cruise Centre, which had been there since 1992, moved to a new terminal at 5 HarbourFront Avenue from 15 July 2026, so the Batam and Bintan ferries still run, just from next door. We have written up other closures in 5 Singapore malls that closed down.

What the south looks like now

With HarbourFront Centre gone until 2031, VivoCity absorbs almost everything on that corner, and the Sentosa crossing crowd has one fewer option for a cheap meal before the beach. Tiong Bahru Plaza is the underrated one on this list, sitting directly on top of Tiong Bahru MRT (EW17) with a full food floor and a supermarket. If you are going to Sentosa, buy snacks at VivoCity before you cross. Prices on the island are what they are.

FAQs

Has HarbourFront Centre closed?

Yes. HarbourFront Centre ceased operations on 27 July 2026 for redevelopment by Mapletree Investments into a 33-storey commercial building, expected to complete in the first half of 2031.

Where do Batam and Bintan ferries leave from now?

The Singapore Cruise Centre moved to a new terminal at 5 HarbourFront Avenue with effect from 15 July 2026.

What is replacing HarbourFront Centre?

A roughly 123,000 sq m mixed-use development with 26 floors of Grade A offices, a five-storey retail podium and a 13,000 sq m elevated public park beside a new waterfront promenade.

Which mall in the south did we rate highest?

VivoCity and Tiong Bahru Plaza tied at 8 out of 10, VivoCity for scale and the Sentosa crossing, Tiong Bahru Plaza for sheer convenience.