This is the first episode of my new series, where we are visiting Chinese related places all around Southeast Asia. Each episode is in another country. New video out every Friday, feel free to subscribe to follow the journey. More interesting places are coming 🙏 Instagram for daily updates instagram.com/ken_abroad/
I remember when they builth Shanghai ...it was called a ghost city too. NOT ANYMORE. Give these cities a decade and it will be very busy. China has 1.5 Billion people. 700,000 still need to be moved to middle-class. PLENTY OF GROWTH REMAINING!
@@KenAbroad Am loving your first episode of your new series, "Chinese related places all around South East Asia" ...very knowledgeable and informative. GREAT job, Ken. You are an excellent content creator.
So, where are you now? I was expecting to see more videos from you in South Korea but it appears you went back to China in the last one and now in Malaysia? I am a bit confused.
Not sure if you are aware of the followng: In general, foreigners can't buy property in Malaysia for less than RM1 million (about USD 235,000) in most states, but there are some exceptions. For example, in some states like Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Penang, Perlis, Sabah, or Sarawak, the minimum purchase price may be RM2 million. In addition, the MM2H visa program may allow foreigners to purchase property with different price caps and loan facilitations. Of corse, there are properties less than RM500k, but we are not allowed to buy them, the government does not want foreigners to jet up the price for the locals.
They could easily make the exception for FOREST CITY... If they wanted to... Sad, tbh at the very least this way these appartments would have some use and Singaporeans could also purchase and commute from there... Honestly, Chinese real estate offices have already ruined so many properties in Malaysia!
@@commenting2008 I blame Malaysian government for allowing this project to even go ahead! TOO MANY SKYSCRAPERS, TOO CLOSELY BUILT TO ANOTHER, TOO TALL, making it an absolute eyesore and not capping the price! If Malaysian authorities would allow it under certain conditions that would benefit ALL MALAYSIANS AND CHINESE instead of ridiculously wealthy Chinese, perhaps I could understand this. But I have seen those real estate developers RUIN certain parts of Malaysia (often of Chinese descent). Had they cut those big skyscrapers in HALF in size and space them out, perhaps they wouldn't look half as bad as they do now... This was done with NO FINANCIAL PREPLANNING.
Your government is right.The real estate developers did not think things through carefully at the time. There were too many speculators, and they only wanted to make money without considering anything else.Its a bad investment
Selamat datang to Malaysia Ken.What a surprise to see you here in the Forest City exploring the vast project and a brilliant idea to show us around too.Yes see for yourself first hand rather than hearing from the different perspective of the social media.Will be waiting for your next city exploration.Cheers!💕🇲🇾
This place looks like a piece of development from China - long term plans that people without vision cannot comprehend. Many "ghost cities" in China years ago are today bustling & vibrant. Unlike unplanned cities that can be haphazard, the long term planning produces neat & very organised infrastructures for comfortable living. Also, this place is like it's targeted for the growing China middle class and for foreign investments from Singapore to the local property market. Seems the Johor sultanate have always been able to look ahead of their times.
As a Chinese , first learned this place on TV ads about 10 years ago.The main target customers are Chinese people who may go for a holiday during their vacations. At that time, it was described as a modern and green town next to Singapore. But the problem is that the main developer (BiGuiYuan) faced serious difficulty during the Covid time. This project is also seemed as an unsuccessful project even by us Chinese. 😃
Hello Ken, I stay in Johor, and honestly, Forest City is my favorite place here because I can access beautiful views from the balcony and admire the architecture around the city. Yes, it's really expensive for locals to stay here because we're not their main target. I have a lot of friends who live in Forest City, and I've been to their houses a few times. All I can say is, AMAZING. I don't know about other people, but as an introvert, I would consider staying here. However, the downside is the lack of a transportation system around this city. There's no shuttle.
Pls be informed that there is a shuttle bus in the forest to run through sunway big and bukit indah. Besides, there is also a public bus to Singapore. You can find these information through the official website of the forest city
I think it was a missed opportunity to build a metro or tramway system. I noticed lots of cars parked, and the place is still not full. It will be a parking nightmare when fully sold out.
@@namelesscynic1616 Maybe they will build one by then? Why are you going to build metro or tramway when there isn't really many people to use the system? It can only be done when you have a completed city, and you know what is the demand.
Unfortunately the MCO which was caused by the covid 19 shut down but now slowly things are getting better and definitely will pick up again in the near future. Good job you debunk the negative vloggers who dont even been there. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
@@yunytotoro7184propably the ccp invited a few TH-camrs to boost the popularity of forest City after China is struggeling to recover from it's intense covid restrictions
Hi, Ken.. Your honest review is highly appreciated, not like some other guys just trying to use the word GHOST TOWN to attract traffic, yet misleading their fans!! We were just there exploring last month, totally agree with what you have reported. Great job, Ken.. The only challenge for this development is just that the selling price has been much higher compared to the average price in whole Malaysia. This will sure slowing the developing process in the long run! Anyway, its pricing strategy might not be wrong a decade ago, but it's quite sure out of range looking at the world economy now and next 10 years!!! If it misses the development timing for the next 5 years, the whole development might be negatively or badly affected!
@@mazin9193You guys always make it obvious 🤣Everytime I see someone call out an obvious Wumao, no one denies anything and y'all just say the same silly insults. At least try making ti less obvious
Thanks for showing us Ken. It looks great, but as you say, in five years or so it will be a much busier place. It’s so lush and green and peaceful ! It will be interesting to watch what happens. 🙏🏼🐨
Thank you very much for sharing this cool tour of Forest City, a place which l haven't visited even though l do visit my youngest sister and family who stay in Johor Baru. To be honest, she hasn't been there too 😃 Well, Forest City is in fact a very nice, modern and quiet place with lush greenery around. The properties there are way too expensive. Anyway, l'm pretty sure this city will flourish in the near future. Your hotel room is cozy, spacious and comfortable with a beautiful ocean view from the balcony. As always, another great video with great content... informative and fun to watch. Bravo, Ken.
Looks very well maintained too. Was there early days of the development. Magnificent city when all developed. Your video so interesting and your narration so easy to understand. 😊
Looks like a wonderful place to vacation, I definitely would go there just to chill and enjoy the sand and the ocean. I think this is a newer video, I need to go back and catch up but keep up the great work, I am really enjoying your adventures.
Hi from London. I have been following your travelling videos, and now finally you are visiting my home town, Johor Bahru. Welcome, Ken. Eat lots of yummy local and Chinese food, and enjoy the heat in Malaysia😅
Ken, you should visit Ordos from Inner Mongolia province in China. the city was also called ghost city by the west media, but now it's super smart, clean, safe city.
I love this video and am quite amazed you managed to tour and video this huge development as a foreigner oh gosh !! in such a short period of time with that electric scooter!! this is really unbelievable This forest city is actually very beautiful and well-developed by the CHINA DEVELOPER. Unfortunately, most units are sold to foreigners or the Chinese and they do not live here. I stayed in that hotel before and a security guard was waiting at my floor at 11 pm when I returned from my dinner elsewhere. Greatly appreciated :) lobby light was half turned off and the basement carpark was in total darkness at that hour, I saw the security guard cycling I was speechless but felt safe to be there.. 8 years ago..
Hey Ken abroad... I only found your channel a few days ago. I would like to compliment you on your content. I feel your videos are interesting and informative. Keep up the good work 😊
The project was a speculative development which is owned by Country Garden and the Johor Government. Like many speculative investments this one has not quite turned out as expected. It was intended to be marketed almost exclusively to mainland Chinese who wanted overseas investments but then both the Chinese and Malaysian governments moved to restrict Chinese investment in Malaysia! This is why the shops and staff were largely Chinese speaking.
On August 25, 2023, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared that Forest City would be included within the Iskandar Malaysia Economic Zone as a Special Financial Zone to enhance its competitiveness. Aug 23, 2024: The Star news: GG56 Korea to invest US$1bil in Forest City to develop Malaysia’s first K-culture town
Though called abandon city/ghost city, the town re so well kept and look so peaceful. The greens and peaceful vibes remind me of Taiping but more modern. Give it few more years to develop it will be a great city to live in
That upkeep costs money. Without the buyers to fund those monthly fees, maintenance, security, and other services will begin to fall by the wayside. The developer was funding those costs out of pocket to maintain the illusion because it would be impossible to sell units if they place becomes derelict, but now it's in bankruptcy court after it defaulted on interest payments in October 2023. Developments such as these depend on people buying off-plan, i.e. before ground is broken and whilst construction is on going. The longer a developer goes without pre-completion sales and their down payments, the higher its own marketing costs, maintenance costs, and interest costs.
@@gagamba9198you said they declared bankruptcy in 2023 but now it's 2025 and the place is still well maintained proofing you're just want to bad mouth a place you cannot afford to live 😅😂
First time viewer, I enjoyed you as our host I actually enjoy the concept of an empty, well maintained city. Appreciate all your insights, you seem a most intelligent individual!
Yes many people called it ghost town. It is busy on the weekends as johoreans and Singaporeans visit the place. I believe the special economic zone includes forest city.😊
Very easy to revive this place for Singaporeans, put in a huge mall with beauty, massage parlors and food, surround the place with car workshops and car wash and even more food and that is an instant formula to attract them.
@@stephenang499dont forget to provide many cinemas or theaters and live performances such as magic and probably some petting zoos for families... jia you don't give up
I have stayed in the hotel for a few time. I love staying there for a holiday. Just relaxing and chilling in my hotel room. Because of the greenery, the air is fresher there.
This is a really interesting episode, digging into things by person to find out the truth is bravo. I enjoyed watching it a lot! Looking forward to your next video.
Welcome to my home state, Johor. I ❤ all your videos as u explain everything very clearly : good homework. The Nepalese u met r probably migrant workers working here, n there r many from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, to name a few. Have a nice stay n enjoy yourself. ❤ from Segamat, Johor.
There is a city similar to the one in the video is called Hengda Venice Resort, an hour's drive from Shanghai. About a decade ago, living projects for vacation purposes were popular in mainland China, and Hengda Venice Resort is probably the only one of these projects to have been completed and sold out.While most of the other projects of the same period failed due to promotional fraud, failed to complete construction, and failed to sold out(like Ocean Flower Island). I live in Shanghai, and many Shanghai elders choose to vacation at Hengda Venice Resort in the spring and autumn seasons. About 20% of the housing there is occupied by people on a long-term stay, not just a vacation. Forest City failed because it was advertised in the early days that you could get a Malaysian passport if you bought a house (which of course was a fraud that never came to reality). Another reason is that mainland China banned individuals buying overseas houses as investment a few years ago, and some of those who bought Forest City were "notorious" individual investors in China.
Comparative study is the key. I'm glad this vlogger said he will go back and visit in future time for a comparison. Many of how China real estate developers plan is to plan for future usage. In fact, many of those "ghost" cities in China were built now for now but for future projections. One big downfall is when the State's policy changes, so will how that change affect local developments. But when the plan gets greenlit with the gov't backing, places like Shenzhen shows you what could be from fishing village to global tech hub. That's the pro and con of State planning like China and how some of those Chinese real estate developers like to take chances. Good for Ken to visit places like this.
As a foreigner, the minimum investment required for any development in Malaysia is 1 million, whereas a local may only need to invest 400,000. This significant difference highlights the financial barriers that foreigners face in the development process.
The location is really good in fact, you can go easily to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur by bus. It's need a bullet train station and a harbor to be fully connect
Really interesting vid --- as always! Tons of new info. Have friends in Singapore; will contact them and ask about their impressions/knowledge of Forest City. Thanks. Lok forward to next vid 11
It looks very nice. I would like to visit one day, but I wouldn't agree with your comments about there being a lot of people around. Maybe if comparing to a ghost city. I wonder what the construction quality is like.
I think the Ghost Town rumor was too keep this place a secret. It looks absolutely wonderful. There are people there, but it is not too crowded. So now I want to see you condo. I also want that abandoned Volkswagen. Such a lovely place! Thank you for sharing it.
Apa khabar Ken! In Singapore, we have a good view of forest city from Tuas in Singapore, especially during sunset! It also looks so much greener than Singapore!
This is also owned by Johor government with many incoming projects, It was also declared a special economic zone and free tax zone, This area is near to second connection to Singapore called Tuas link. And it was surrounded by Legoland theme park, Golf resort, yacht harbor and also the fishing village to the West.
Never make mistake by following media blindly. Iskandar Forest was built during Pandemic period that was affected by constant lockdown in China and led to uptake of buyers from abroad. Same thing with apmt buildings in Sihanoukeville Cambodia and also in the China itself due to slow recovery post Pandemic and uncertainty over ongoing US-China trade war.
Forest City was *not* built during pandemic. In fact, its apartments were sold out years before the pandemic. So, not sure how the sales could be affected by lockdowns........ The only known effect of lockdowns is most buyers could not go there to stay, and no foreigner could enter the country to rent there.
LOL, "US-China trade war" is impacting China's CONSTRUCTION players? What is Country Garden and Evergrande has to do with exports? Wumaos and their fake narratives! 😄
Good review but nowhere on western media does it say that Forest City is abandoned, it states that it’s incomplete and unlike Evergrande, Country Garden is still operating amidst the real estate crisis in China. Personally I wouldn’t construct anymore buildings there , I would mainly polish up the infrastructure and be done with it✅
So glad he put that 9,000 people live there, that’s about the amount of people that live in the small town I live in. There are 28,000 thousand housing units on that island so while I believe it to be an exaggeration to call it a ghost town I would struggle to call it a successful thriving community where are the schools, playgrounds, doctors surgery’s and all the other elements that make up a community. And another point I notice that in order to protect those that do inhabit the area he didn’t have access to the residential area. It just looks like a very quiet tourist destination except I noticed that no one was swimming in the sea or playing on the sand everyone just seemed to randomly wandering aimlessly about. It just felt a bit gloomy and lonely. I would love it, if it had any sort of atmosphere about it. I like quiet places but personally I find a large mostly empty place rather uninviting. Still horses for courses. I do hope this place thrives as it appears to be very nice, just needs a few more people to give a soul.😊
The place does not look like Malaysia at all, but a transplanted city from China. Look forward to watching the new series about Chinese communities in SE Asia. Safe travels.
From what I see from your video, the hotel exterior,interior ,design and view of the sea..well I can say this hotel is much better condition than many other hotels
Oh my goodness, I heard a lot about this " Ghost City/ China's failed City" but this is the first time I have a good look of it thru this video. I thiught it was just a concrete dump but WOW it is quite amazing. Never realised such a grand plan in Malaysia. But I do agree that the 2 bedroom apartment at RMB1 Million is too much. But for a prepare cool city, this one is rather nice. I hope Malaysia all the vrry best and keep rising & developing. Satu bangda, satu suara, satu negara.❤
For now? How long should it take to fill a $100 BILLION dollar investment before one accepts it’s a failure? With only approx. 1% of the current city filled, it’s a financial ruin!
Probably the locals living there are working in Singapore. Otherwise, as mentioned, the shops and restaurants are geared towards Mainland Chinese, not so much local Chinese/Malay/Indians. Malaysian generally prefer landed houses. Most Singaporeans would also rather buy landed houses in gated communities such as Horizon Hills in Johor as those in Singapore are too expensive for most to buy.
it is not a ghost town. There are people living there and people started moving there. It was selling well when it started but china started blocking overseas outflow hence causing many chinese not able to purchase. While covid cause much of the ghost town link, however, since the opening, people have been moving in for either rental or getting their keys. Despite all the issues, the place have completed the buildings and maintained well compared to many condos around malaysia. But as it is, there are many occupants and some of the carpark is full for some of the blocks.
The place is actually beautifully built. The problem, from what I know, is when the project was signed, the Malaysian government allowed foreigners to buy property. So Garden City targeted mainland Chinese for those working in Singapore and staying in Malaysia. However, the previous prime minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad tightened the residency law and buyers of Forest City will not obtain long-term residenship. While local Malaysians mostly consider the place too expensive for their living standard, that made the setback of selling. Now Anwar changed the law and shown support for the project, it should be restarted again soon. Correct me if I am wrong.
Nice video - I'm looking forward to the series! I used to think about retiring in Malaysia (Malacca) but then the politics became unstable. It's also too hot there to do much. Malacca also has a lot of these Chinese developments now, including a new marina. They look nice initially but if it goes bankrupt you will be left living in a decaying scrap heap. It's "I do" in English, by the way😂
This is the first episode of my new series, where we are visiting Chinese related places all around Southeast Asia. Each episode is in another country. New video out every Friday, feel free to subscribe to follow the journey. More interesting places are coming 🙏
Instagram for daily updates instagram.com/ken_abroad/
I remember when they builth Shanghai ...it was called a ghost city too. NOT ANYMORE. Give these cities a decade and it will be very busy. China has 1.5 Billion people. 700,000 still need to be moved to middle-class. PLENTY OF GROWTH REMAINING!
@@KenAbroad Am loving your first episode of your new series, "Chinese related places all around South East Asia" ...very knowledgeable and informative. GREAT job, Ken. You are an excellent content creator.
So, where are you now? I was expecting to see more videos from you in South Korea but it appears you went back to China in the last one and now in Malaysia? I am a bit confused.
I am in Johor Bahru now...any chance of meeting up ?
You must be the first German visitor likely first European visitor to the island. Great video!
Not sure if you are aware of the followng: In general, foreigners can't buy property in Malaysia for less than RM1 million (about USD 235,000) in most states, but there are some exceptions. For example, in some states like Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Penang, Perlis, Sabah, or Sarawak, the minimum purchase price may be RM2 million. In addition, the MM2H visa program may allow foreigners to purchase property with different price caps and loan facilitations. Of corse, there are properties less than RM500k, but we are not allowed to buy them, the government does not want foreigners to jet up the price for the locals.
They could easily make the exception for FOREST CITY... If they wanted to...
Sad, tbh at the very least this way these appartments would have some use and Singaporeans could also purchase and commute from there... Honestly, Chinese real estate offices have already ruined so many properties in Malaysia!
@@dontlaughtoomuch11 They do the same thing everywhere, lots of half built incomplete properties all over China.
@@commenting2008 I blame Malaysian government for allowing this project to even go ahead! TOO MANY SKYSCRAPERS, TOO CLOSELY BUILT TO ANOTHER, TOO TALL, making it an absolute eyesore and not capping the price! If Malaysian authorities would allow it under certain conditions that would benefit ALL MALAYSIANS AND CHINESE instead of ridiculously wealthy Chinese, perhaps I could understand this. But I have seen those real estate developers RUIN certain parts of Malaysia (often of Chinese descent). Had they cut those big skyscrapers in HALF in size and space them out, perhaps they wouldn't look half as bad as they do now... This was done with NO FINANCIAL PREPLANNING.
Your government is right.The real estate developers did not think things through carefully at the time. There were too many speculators, and they only wanted to make money without considering anything else.Its a bad investment
Selamat datang to Malaysia Ken.What a surprise to see you here in the Forest City exploring the vast project and a brilliant idea to show us around too.Yes see for yourself first hand rather than hearing from the different perspective of the social media.Will be waiting for your next city exploration.Cheers!💕🇲🇾
This place looks like a piece of development from China - long term plans that people without vision cannot comprehend.
Many "ghost cities" in China years ago are today bustling & vibrant. Unlike unplanned cities that can be haphazard, the long term planning produces neat & very organised infrastructures for comfortable living.
Also, this place is like it's targeted for the growing China middle class and for foreign investments from Singapore to the local property market.
Seems the Johor sultanate have always been able to look ahead of their times.
No he is not
@@mrj475 and if I say, yes he is? Shouldn't you at least say why he is not?
As a Chinese , first learned this place on TV ads about 10 years ago.The main target customers are Chinese people who may go for a holiday during their vacations. At that time, it was described as a modern and green town next to Singapore.
But the problem is that the main developer (BiGuiYuan) faced serious difficulty during the Covid time. This project is also seemed as an unsuccessful project even by us Chinese. 😃
welcome back to Malaysia Ken..tiada masalah
Always good to be back in Malaysia 💪
Tiada masalah 😅
@@KenAbroad the asam boi fan! :D
@@bboysjb asam boi not asam girl😄😄
I like this kind of videos. They are interesting explorations👍
It's a nice city for an introvert so far.. personally I love it.
For now you see people around before not single soul.
Introvert here. I want place with not many people, haha.
heaven for me
Jin magik... It will become existent... 😵💫...
Thanks for the video dude. Cleared the clouds for me.
Thanks, Ken, for this wonderful video. This place would be lovely as a holiday home 🏡
Thanks for watching 🙏
tq good jobs ken and welcome back to the country that you started as a You tuber
Always happy to be back in Malaysia, indeed the country where I got my first few thousands subscribers 🙏
@@KenAbroad Interesting to know that 🙂
Hello Ken,
I stay in Johor, and honestly, Forest City is my favorite place here because I can access beautiful views from the balcony and admire the architecture around the city. Yes, it's really expensive for locals to stay here because we're not their main target. I have a lot of friends who live in Forest City, and I've been to their houses a few times. All I can say is, AMAZING. I don't know about other people, but as an introvert, I would consider staying here. However, the downside is the lack of a transportation system around this city. There's no shuttle.
Pls be informed that there is a shuttle bus in the forest to run through sunway big and bukit indah. Besides, there is also a public bus to Singapore. You can find these information through the official website of the forest city
I think it was a missed opportunity to build a metro or tramway system. I noticed lots of cars parked, and the place is still not full. It will be a parking nightmare when fully sold out.
@@namelesscynic1616 Maybe they will build one by then? Why are you going to build metro or tramway when there isn't really many people to use the system? It can only be done when you have a completed city, and you know what is the demand.
Ken's videos are great for picking up travel tips, discovering new destinations, and getting inspired for your next adventure.
A nice and great video. Thanks a lot for the valuable information
Thanks for showing parts of diff country which not many youtubers show
Terima kasih ken for giving a different perspective on forest city, Malaysia
Unfortunately the MCO which was caused by the covid 19 shut down but now slowly things are getting better and definitely will pick up again in the near future.
Good job you debunk the negative vloggers who dont even been there.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
China's clamp down on citizens investing overseas also hurt.
wow, can't believe you find it,so interesting
Actually a few months ago i already saw a few western youtubers already record it now one by one follow it to gain viewers by the title
@@yunytotoro7184propably the ccp invited a few TH-camrs to boost the popularity of forest City after China is struggeling to recover from it's intense covid restrictions
Very interesting place. I'm thinking it would be very relaxing and calm to live there as a digital nomad for a while.
Hi, Ken.. Your honest review is highly appreciated, not like some other guys just trying to use the word GHOST TOWN to attract traffic, yet misleading their fans!! We were just there exploring last month, totally agree with what you have reported. Great job, Ken.. The only challenge for this development is just that the selling price has been much higher compared to the average price in whole Malaysia. This will sure slowing the developing process in the long run! Anyway, its pricing strategy might not be wrong a decade ago, but it's quite sure out of range looking at the world economy now and next 10 years!!! If it misses the development timing for the next 5 years, the whole development might be negatively or badly affected!
Welcome back ken
Ken, I like your honest review rather than exaggerated videos of many vloggers...that's the beauty of your videos ❤
🤣🤣 whatever Wumao
@@willsmith39 Your tears are delicious.
@@willsmith39😂do yourself a favor - Liked yr own comment 🎉😂
@@willsmith39100000000000 cia points
@@mazin9193You guys always make it obvious 🤣Everytime I see someone call out an obvious Wumao, no one denies anything and y'all just say the same silly insults. At least try making ti less obvious
❤The sky is beautiful. Tks for sharing. Beautiful
This is so fascinating. This is the third video of Forest City that i watch. I enjoy the different pov videos. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for showing us Ken. It looks great, but as you say, in five years or so it will be a much busier place. It’s so lush and green and peaceful ! It will be interesting to watch what happens. 🙏🏼🐨
Love this video! It is such an interesting place. Never seen a place like this.
thanks,this is a wonderful episode,i like this kind of vedio.
Nice video! Thanks for bringing us there.
Welcomeback my brother !!!
'Yes, I do'. :) Great video! Makes me wanna visit Forest City with my partner soon.
looks like a great place to get out of the hustle and bustle and chill for a week with the fam
Thank you very much for sharing this cool tour of Forest City, a place which l haven't visited even though l do visit my youngest sister and family who stay in Johor Baru. To be honest, she hasn't been there too 😃 Well, Forest City is in fact a very nice, modern and quiet place with lush greenery around. The properties there are way too expensive. Anyway, l'm pretty sure this city will flourish in the near future. Your hotel room is cozy, spacious and comfortable with a beautiful ocean view from the balcony. As always, another great video with great content... informative and fun to watch. Bravo, Ken.
welcome back to malaysia ken!
Great content, great video, thanks for sharing. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Another great video Ken! Thanks!
Looks very well maintained too. Was there early days of the development. Magnificent city when all developed. Your video so interesting and your narration so easy to understand. 😊
Beautiful land and people. thank you for sharing
What people bruh😭💀
You are finally home! Welcome back Ken😊
Looks like a wonderful place to vacation, I definitely would go there just to chill and enjoy the sand and the ocean. I think this is a newer video, I need to go back and catch up but keep up the great work, I am really enjoying your adventures.
Hi from London. I have been following your travelling videos, and now finally you are visiting my home town, Johor Bahru. Welcome, Ken. Eat lots of yummy local and Chinese food, and enjoy the heat in Malaysia😅
What heat?! Come visit Middle East and you'll never complain of SEA weather again...
Ken,positive view ....like it
Tqvm Ken..this is very informative..you explore this area n give us nice review!!
Ken, you should visit Ordos from Inner Mongolia province in China. the city was also called ghost city by the west media, but now it's super smart, clean, safe city.
Good review ken. Based on what you se e. Unlike some of the irresponsible TH-camrs. You deserved a like from me
In Johor, the weekends are on Friday and Saturday. Most probably those people at the beach are either Singaporeans or out of state tourists.
Thanks for posting this video
I love this video and am quite amazed you managed to tour and video this huge development as a foreigner oh gosh !! in such a short period of time with that electric scooter!! this is really unbelievable This forest city is actually very beautiful and well-developed by the CHINA DEVELOPER. Unfortunately, most units are sold to foreigners or the Chinese and they do not live here. I stayed in that hotel before and a security guard was waiting at my floor at 11 pm when I returned from my dinner elsewhere. Greatly appreciated :) lobby light was half turned off and the basement carpark was in total darkness at that hour, I saw the security guard cycling I was speechless but felt safe to be there.. 8 years ago..
Hey Ken abroad... I only found your channel a few days ago. I would like to compliment you on your content. I feel your videos are interesting and informative. Keep up the good work 😊
Welcome to the channel 🙏
Thank you, Ken for your video. Will be there soon to enjoy the beach and delicious Malaysian food. Was there last year just missed the forest city.
Great video 💥
That's crazy a few days ago I saw another dude's video on this city and now ken the man too
OMG.. u are back.. ❤
The project was a speculative development which is owned by Country Garden and the Johor Government. Like many speculative investments this one has not quite turned out as expected. It was intended to be marketed almost exclusively to mainland Chinese who wanted overseas investments but then both the Chinese and Malaysian governments moved to restrict Chinese investment in Malaysia! This is why the shops and staff were largely Chinese speaking.
Oʻ⁸what
amazing sharing thanks bro!
On August 25, 2023, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared that Forest City would be included within the Iskandar Malaysia Economic Zone as a Special Financial Zone to enhance its competitiveness.
Aug 23, 2024: The Star news:
GG56 Korea to invest US$1bil in Forest City to develop Malaysia’s first K-culture town
No K crap please??? Build a normal town
Love this kind of content, interesting vid and place man! 🙏🏻
Though called abandon city/ghost city, the town re so well kept and look so peaceful. The greens and peaceful vibes remind me of Taiping but more modern. Give it few more years to develop it will be a great city to live in
That upkeep costs money. Without the buyers to fund those monthly fees, maintenance, security, and other services will begin to fall by the wayside. The developer was funding those costs out of pocket to maintain the illusion because it would be impossible to sell units if they place becomes derelict, but now it's in bankruptcy court after it defaulted on interest payments in October 2023.
Developments such as these depend on people buying off-plan, i.e. before ground is broken and whilst construction is on going. The longer a developer goes without pre-completion sales and their down payments, the higher its own marketing costs, maintenance costs, and interest costs.
@@gagamba9198you said they declared bankruptcy in 2023 but now it's 2025 and the place is still well maintained proofing you're just want to bad mouth a place you cannot afford to live 😅😂
First time viewer, I enjoyed you as our host
I actually enjoy the concept of an empty, well maintained city.
Appreciate all your insights, you seem a most intelligent individual!
Thanks for watching 🙏
Yes many people called it ghost town. It is busy on the weekends as johoreans and Singaporeans visit the place. I believe the special economic zone includes forest city.😊
Very easy to revive this place for Singaporeans, put in a huge mall with beauty, massage parlors and food, surround the place with car workshops and car wash and even more food and that is an instant formula to attract them.
@@stephenang499dont forget to provide many cinemas or theaters and live performances such as magic and probably some petting zoos for families... jia you don't give up
Yooo!.. Ken... Back in Malaysia again, Pretty much like a 2nd home here.... and in state of Johor , Cheers mate!
Well come back to Malaysia Ken!!
I have stayed in the hotel for a few time. I love staying there for a holiday. Just relaxing and chilling in my hotel room. Because of the greenery, the air is fresher there.
Tqsm ken. U showed the true forest city. Very nice view n city. Feel like visiting there.❤
Ken, you are a legend ! Lol 😀
This is a really interesting episode, digging into things by person to find out the truth is bravo. I enjoyed watching it a lot! Looking forward to your next video.
Lovely, nice one Ken ,:-)
Welcome to my home state, Johor. I ❤ all your videos as u explain everything very clearly : good homework. The Nepalese u met r probably migrant workers working here, n there r many from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, to name a few. Have a nice stay n enjoy yourself. ❤ from Segamat, Johor.
There is a city similar to the one in the video is called Hengda Venice Resort, an hour's drive from Shanghai. About a decade ago, living projects for vacation purposes were popular in mainland China, and Hengda Venice Resort is probably the only one of these projects to have been completed and sold out.While most of the other projects of the same period failed due to promotional fraud, failed to complete construction, and failed to sold out(like Ocean Flower Island). I live in Shanghai, and many Shanghai elders choose to vacation at Hengda Venice Resort in the spring and autumn seasons. About 20% of the housing there is occupied by people on a long-term stay, not just a vacation.
Forest City failed because it was advertised in the early days that you could get a Malaysian passport if you bought a house (which of course was a fraud that never came to reality). Another reason is that mainland China banned individuals buying overseas houses as investment a few years ago, and some of those who bought Forest City were "notorious" individual investors in China.
Comparative study is the key. I'm glad this vlogger said he will go back and visit in future time for a comparison. Many of how China real estate developers plan is to plan for future usage.
In fact, many of those "ghost" cities in China were built now for now but for future projections. One big downfall is when the State's policy changes, so will how that change affect local developments. But when the plan gets greenlit with the gov't backing, places like Shenzhen shows you what could be from fishing village to global tech hub.
That's the pro and con of State planning like China and how some of those Chinese real estate developers like to take chances.
Good for Ken to visit places like this.
As a foreigner, the minimum investment required for any development in Malaysia is 1 million, whereas a local may only need to invest 400,000. This significant difference highlights the financial barriers that foreigners face in the development process.
It also highlights why it will remain a ghost town. $200K USD for a 2bd with that much over supply is a robbery.
@@genericdeveloper3966 exactly. You'll never get that investment back.
Great video!! Lot of Great information then a few others I seen on this subject!! Love sky!! 10 out of 10!! Cool place 😎.
The location is really good in fact, you can go easily to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur by bus.
It's need a bullet train station and a harbor to be fully connect
Great and informative video. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Great informative video. So Forest City is not dead.
Really interesting vid --- as always! Tons of new info. Have friends in Singapore; will contact them and ask about their impressions/knowledge of Forest City. Thanks. Lok forward to next vid 11
It looks very nice. I would like to visit one day, but I wouldn't agree with your comments about there being a lot of people around. Maybe if comparing to a ghost city. I wonder what the construction quality is like.
I hope it succeeds. I love the concept of a Forest Modern City.
hello ken, u back malaysia! welcome to johor!
Terima kasih💪
I think the Ghost Town rumor was too keep this place a secret. It looks absolutely wonderful. There are people there, but it is not too crowded. So now I want to see you condo. I also want that abandoned Volkswagen. Such a lovely place! Thank you for sharing it.
Apa khabar Ken! In Singapore, we have a good view of forest city from Tuas in Singapore, especially during sunset!
It also looks so much greener than Singapore!
That's interesting content, thank you, Ken.
This is also owned by Johor government with many incoming projects, It was also declared a special economic zone and free tax zone, This area is near to second connection to Singapore called Tuas link. And it was surrounded by Legoland theme park, Golf resort, yacht harbor and also the fishing village to the West.
😊 welcome back in Malaysia Ken abrod
Never make mistake by following media blindly. Iskandar Forest was built during Pandemic period that was affected by constant lockdown in China and led to uptake of buyers from abroad. Same thing with apmt buildings in Sihanoukeville Cambodia and also in the China itself due to slow recovery post Pandemic and uncertainty over ongoing US-China trade war.
and do u know if the prices have gone up/recovered significantly after the "covid" time?
it's going down, and the builder ,Green garden,was on the edge of bankruptcy, but ccp was preventing this happening@@carstensanonym7527
CCP funded propaganda
Forest City was *not* built during pandemic.
In fact, its apartments were sold out years before the pandemic. So, not sure how the sales could be affected by lockdowns........
The only known effect of lockdowns is most buyers could not go there to stay, and no foreigner could enter the country to rent there.
LOL, "US-China trade war" is impacting China's CONSTRUCTION players? What is Country Garden and Evergrande has to do with exports? Wumaos and their fake narratives! 😄
New facilities and FTZ approved 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤
Good review but nowhere on western media does it say that Forest City is abandoned, it states that it’s incomplete and unlike Evergrande, Country Garden is still operating amidst the real estate crisis in China. Personally I wouldn’t construct anymore buildings there , I would mainly polish up the infrastructure and be done with it✅
So glad he put that 9,000 people live there, that’s about the amount of people that live in the small town I live in. There are 28,000 thousand housing units on that island so while I believe it to be an exaggeration to call it a ghost town I would struggle to call it a successful thriving community where are the schools, playgrounds, doctors surgery’s and all the other elements that make up a community. And another point I notice that in order to protect those that do inhabit the area he didn’t have access to the residential area. It just looks like a very quiet tourist destination except I noticed that no one was swimming in the sea or playing on the sand everyone just seemed to randomly wandering aimlessly about. It just felt a bit gloomy and lonely. I would love it, if it had any sort of atmosphere about it. I like quiet places but personally I find a large mostly empty place rather uninviting. Still horses for courses. I do hope this place thrives as it appears to be very nice, just needs a few more people to give a soul.😊
Can I suggest Sanya Hainan China to you, very tropical and great seafood. Great to see a video of it
It's on my list to visit later this year 🙏
The place does not look like Malaysia at all, but a transplanted city from China. Look forward to watching the new series about Chinese communities in SE Asia. Safe travels.
really 😂😂😂 I don't see any difference
You must be from Wakanda or from other planets.
From what I see from your video, the hotel exterior,interior ,design and view of the sea..well I can say this hotel is much better condition than many other hotels
Great video. Next time, please where a helmet if your are on a bike (if available). Loved your video of Muscat.
Oh my goodness, I heard a lot about this " Ghost City/ China's failed City" but this is the first time I have a good look of it thru this video.
I thiught it was just a concrete dump but WOW it is quite amazing. Never realised such a grand plan in Malaysia.
But I do agree that the 2 bedroom apartment at RMB1 Million is too much. But for a prepare cool city, this one is rather nice.
I hope Malaysia all the vrry best and keep rising & developing.
Satu bangda, satu suara, satu negara.❤
this is so nice, i am Indonesian, i would love to buy one unit here 😂. It's near Singapore and it's in Malaysia which is also near Indonesia.
It’s not abandoned, but rather it’s just underpopulated for now..
yes... just like Detroit.
For now? How long should it take to fill a $100 BILLION dollar investment before one accepts it’s a failure? With only approx. 1% of the current city filled, it’s a financial ruin!
@@johnsmith-cw3wo Detroit is a whole other story. This place looks well kept.
@johnsmith-cw3wo Detroit won't come back because it's full of ✊🏿. They guarantee that a city can never succeed. China doesn't have that problem.
like first, watch it later 🤞
Thanks 💪
Probably the locals living there are working in Singapore. Otherwise, as mentioned, the shops and restaurants are geared towards Mainland Chinese, not so much local Chinese/Malay/Indians. Malaysian generally prefer landed houses. Most Singaporeans would also rather buy landed houses in gated communities such as Horizon Hills in Johor as those in Singapore are too expensive for most to buy.
Welcome back to Johore, Ken 👋
Terima kasih 💪
it is not a ghost town. There are people living there and people started moving there. It was selling well when it started but china started blocking overseas outflow hence causing many chinese not able to purchase. While covid cause much of the ghost town link, however, since the opening, people have been moving in for either rental or getting their keys. Despite all the issues, the place have completed the buildings and maintained well compared to many condos around malaysia. But as it is, there are many occupants and some of the carpark is full for some of the blocks.
看到那些餐厅超市，仿佛是身处China town
期待你接下来的旅行视频
加油 肯高飞
The place is actually beautifully built. The problem, from what I know, is when the project was signed, the Malaysian government allowed foreigners to buy property. So Garden City targeted mainland Chinese for those working in Singapore and staying in Malaysia. However, the previous prime minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad tightened the residency law and buyers of Forest City will not obtain long-term residenship. While local Malaysians mostly consider the place too expensive for their living standard, that made the setback of selling. Now Anwar changed the law and shown support for the project, it should be restarted again soon. Correct me if I am wrong.
mathey destroys everything except his v deep pockets
Nice video - I'm looking forward to the series! I used to think about retiring in Malaysia (Malacca) but then the politics became unstable. It's also too hot there to do much. Malacca also has a lot of these Chinese developments now, including a new marina. They look nice initially but if it goes bankrupt you will be left living in a decaying scrap heap.
It's "I do" in English, by the way😂