Setapak: New Vietnam Town?

     Have been staying in Setapak for about 3 years now. There has been many changes around here since. Good and bad. The walkway outside of Sri Pelangi Condominium is now a Chi Chong Gai (Chinatown), the pathway getting dirtier by the stalls nearby. We have people selling clothes, shoes, prawn crackers, water chestnut and (macam-macam) you can imagine. The little Thailand opposite Sri Pelangi Condo is also now an open space car park where you can park hourly or rent monthly.

    Now speaking of the population in Setapak area, especially Jalan Prima Setapak, where there are four main favourite to places rent (Prima Setapak, Sri Pelangi, Genting Court and Plaza Prima Setapak), we notice an increasing number of foreigners, not ang mohs definitely but foreign workers from Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. 

    The foreigners are now much like expats living in the four main favourite places to rent mentioned. During the day, you can see many Vietnamese kids with weird school uniforms and bags walking to school. Their so called international school is actually one of the upstairs shop nearby. During the evening time, you can see the Vietnamese mothers hanging around with their baby carried in sarong. 

   Is this a good sign or bad? Probably good for the foreign workers but for the Malaysian young adults, perhaps its time to move?

Sri Pelangi Condominium

Suitable for:

• Young working adults
• UTAR students
• Family

Comment:

You can see Sri Pelangi Condominium from the main road of Jalan Genting Kelang. This white color building is situated opposite Prima Setapak as well. Many young working adults and UTAR students like to stay here. There is a bus stop just one min away from the condo where there is buses to Wangsa Maju LRT station and also KL city. As for the UTAR students, there is shuttle bus for them to go and back from the campus.

This area is full of food where you will never get starved. Right below the condo we have Kenny Rogers and Home Town steamboat. If you cross the road, you can find KFC there. And of course right across the condo you will find all sorts of hawker food in a street.

There are many blocks in Sri Pelangi Condominium where the better ones I found is Block 130. Many improvements had been done throughout this year where they put proper fencing around the condo, made a garden for a stroll and also repainted the condo itself (still in progress).

This condo is also near to Chinese morning market. 

Prima Setapak Condominium

Suitable for:

• UTAR students
• Young working adults

Prima Setapak Condominium

A Foot Away:

• Morning market
• A street of hawker food
• Bus stop

Comment:

Prima Setapak Condominium is situated next to Sri Pelangi Condominium. This condo is also one of the most searched/ rented condo around Jalan Genting Kelang area. Most of the people who rented here are UTAR students.

It is popular among UTAR students as you could get all sorts of hawker food just right across the road. The road sides get crowded with Chinese food stalls in the evening starting 5-6pm till late midnight. You can get all sorts of food here. 

Opposite Prima Setapak Condo & also Sri Pelangi Condo where all hawker food lines

Prima Setapak is a high density population condo whereby you might get a little trouble getting into the lifts. However, it does have good facilities such as swimming pool, basketball field and a nice park.

Menara Alpha Condominium

Suitable For:

• UTAR students
• Young working adults

Menara Alpha Condominium

A Foot Away:

• Wangsa Maju LRT station
• Rapid KL & Metro buses station

Comment:

Menara Alpha, like Metroview and Tar Villa has the same distance to LRT station and also the wide selection of hawker food. These three condos are popular to rent by UTAR students and also young working adults.

However, looking from outside of the condo, you could see the walls are kind of grey and dirty. The pointy roofs and bridges that links the blocks look like the castle where the witches stay if you let your imagination runs wild. 

There are also rumor saying that the condo has few cases of suicide. I hope rumor stays rumor.

Overall, you could rent a room in Menara Alpha at a cheaper price range. If you are a tough guy or person, this might be your choice.   


Review:

Those who are vegetarian should rent at Menara Alpha as it has a vegetarian stall right outside the condo.

Vegetarian stall: Situated at the corner shop right outside Menara Alpha Condo

This vegetarian stall opens early in the morning for those who wants a quick take away before heading to work. It sells delicious vegetarian bee hun. 

Tar Villa

A Foot Away:

• Wangsa Maju LRT station
• Rapid KL & Metro buses station

Entrance and  guard house of Tar Villa (the red color Kancil is there since forever and it looks like its gonna disintegrate after touching...

Comment:

Tar Villa is a simple yet comfortable place to live. This place has a good maintenance in terms of cleanliness. It has two blocks only in total which make it a low density villa. Hence, you will find no trouble waiting for the lifts.

The size of the house is small but yet the rental is in par with Menara Alpha. The only lacking part of this place is that it does not have a swimming pool and gym. 

Of course, as the distance to the nearby shops is just 5-10 mins away and you could get a number of hawkers and mamak stalls to fill your lunch and dinner. If you are too lazy to walk there, you can also take the life down to G floor and there is an Indian food stall selling rice and maggie mee. However, the cleanliness of the stall needs to be reviewed as sometimes you might get a fly or baby cockroach in your food!

If you are looking for a decent and low density place to stay, you should consider this.

Metroview Condominium

A Foot Away:

• Wangsa Maju KL Rapid
• Wangsa Maju  LRT station
• Jaya Jusco

Comment:

By looking from outside, it has a much more presentable and clean look compared to other apartments nearby. The environment is peaceful and quiet. Majority of the people staying here are renting as young working adults and UTAR students, 70% Chinese people.

For food, you won't be starving if you live here as there are a wide range of food selection by walking. There are a number of kopitiams at the nearby shop lots. They sell all sorts of hawker food ranging from chicken rice to noodles and others. There is also a Burger Kaw Kaw and BRJ (mamak) nearby in case you itch for a supper. 

Compare to Menara Alpha, the rental is just slightly higher, probably RM50-RM100 difference. With a minimal difference, you could feel safer.

Just a note to take, if you are taking LRT or buses to work, be careful with your belongings as it might not seem very safe along the way. Make a distance if you see someone suspicious walking towards you. Do carry a pepper spray or whistle that will work and help. Do not walk alone at late night!

For those who has a better budget to live in a more comfortable environment, you can consider this place.

WANGSA MAJU

Wangsa Maju~ Ahh... A heaven for students and young working adults seeking solace in KL. When I first moved to KL, this was my first place I hid my head under. When I say Wangsa Maju, I mean Wangsa Maju Section 2, the one with the LRT Station.

If you've just graduated and still can't get over campus life, Wangsa Maju is a good place to start your assimilation. With KTAR & UTAR being just a few leaps away, this area is filled with students as well as young working adults (most KTAR, UTAR graduates). It's hard but to feel forever 21 living in a place like this.

For a summary of this area, feel free to scroll through the below.

Suitable for:

• UTAR students (5-10mins)
• Young working adults (Banking or insurance industries mainly, professionals)
• Those that work in heart of KL city

Comfy Zone 

• Metroview Condominium
• Tar Villa 
• Menara Alpha Condominium

Frugal Living

• Flat Wangsa Maju

Shopping Choices:

• Wangsa Walk Mall (TGV Cinema)
• AEON Big (formerly known as Carrefour Wangsa Maju)
• Alpha Angle Shopping Centre (Jusco)

Point to Note:

- LRT Wangsa Maju is just 5-10 mins away-- very suitable for those without own car

Wangsa Maju LRT where you can get buses to KL city (Rapid KL) and also taxi services

Wangsa Maju LRT where its packed with working people in the morning and after working hour