| Gadong | |
| Settlement Type: | Village and neighbourhood |
| Pushpin Map: | Brunei |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Brunei |
| Pushpin Label Position: | none |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Brunei |
| Subdivision Type1: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Brunei–Muara |
| Subdivision Type2: | Mukim |
| Subdivision Name2: | Gadong 'B' |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Ha: | 254.4872 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 3,356 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | BNT |
| Utc Offset1: | +8 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postcode |
| Postal Code: | BE3719 |
| Leader Title: | Village head |
| Leader Name: | Othaman Patra[2] |
Kampong Pengkalan Gadong or commonly known as Gadong (),[3] is a village in Brunei–Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood and commercial area in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.[4] The population was 3,147 in 2016.[5] It is one the villages within Mukim Gadong 'B'. The postcode is BE3719.[6] [7] It is a popular shopping and dining area in the city as well as in Brunei, with several shops, restaurants and cafes establishing their presence in the area. Notably, the area was formerly a rubber estate and was called Gadong Estate or Gadong Rubber Estate.
Some believed that the name Gadong most likely originated from the term gedung, which means warehouse, rather than the word gadong, which refers to the color green in Brunei Malay. Gadong must have once had some warehouses because the name came to be used as a metonym for the location. The word godown in English, which means a storage space, is derived from the words gedong or gudang, which likely descended from the Telugu or Tamil words gidangi or kidangu in India.[8]
The name Gadong is derived from a fruit of the same name, which grows along the riverside in Pulau Sungai Gadong, according to an old project of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) on Brunei streets. The flesh is edible when boiled after being soaked in water and has a reddish color.
At Berakas, Gadong, and Temburong in Brunei, rubber estates were constructed. By 1914, had been set aside for plantations.[9] From the mid-1920s, Joss' Coghill has been in charge of overseeing the Gadong Rubber Estate.[10] In 1923, the Island Trading Company (ITC)-owned estate in Gadong was increased in area.[11] [12] Despite the discovery of oil in Seria prior to 1931, The early decades of the century witnessed the emergence of rubber estates in Berakas, Gadong, and Temburong, but initially, revenues from the nascent oil sector were sluggish to materialize.[13]
According to a 1933 report, malaria incidents in Gadong estate had been relatively low compared to others.[14] By 1934, the estate had a total population of 53 and 32 laborers.[15] The Government Rubber Estate at Labu (Labu Estate) not only failed to meet the constitutionally mandated financial standards (as did the Estates at Gadong and Berakas), but it also accrued debts to the Government of Brunei of $40,151, as stated in paragraph 25 of the State Auditor's Report on 1960. These debts, which represented money borrowed from the Miscellaneous Advance Fund, reached a total of $221,828.65 by 31 December 1965, and the State Financial Officer communicated his concern to the government about the growing losses that these Estates were suffering in April 1966.[16]
The construction of a bridge connecting Bandar Brunei and Jalan Gadong, as well as the establishment of major government facilities there, such as the Gadong Power Stations and, later, the Police Headquarters and the Land Transport Department, led to the fast expansion of Gadong in the 1960s. About 1967 or 1968 saw the completion of Jalan Gadong, which was later joined to Jalan Tutong at the present Jalan Tutong/Jalan Gadong junction sometime in the early 1970s. When the road was constructed, the only means of transportation from the capital to Gadong was via barge along the Menglait River.
The Abdul Razak Complex is home to the Consulate of Sweden while the area is also home to the Embassy of Oman.[17]
At Bandar Seri Begawan, near to the region's tourist attractions, is the Centrepoint Hotel.[18] The hotel has 216 rooms and suites, 113 deluxe rooms, 92 junior suites, 9 executive suites, 2 presidential suites, and 2 penthouse suites. Additionally, 10 meeting rooms and dining restaurants are also present.
The Rizqun International Hotel is located within The Mall shopping complex.[19] Facilities of the hotel includes; Rizqun Coffee House, Rizqun Poolside Bar, swimming pool, ballroom, multi-function meeting rooms, business centre, surau and a gym.[20] Business travelers have a choice of 168 rooms and suites.[21]
Commercial activity in Gadong focuses in the area of the commercial buildings owned by Abdul Razak Holdings, a local real estate company which also owns a few other commercial buildings in Bandar Seri Begawan as well as abroad.[22] The Mall is a one-stop development complex,[23] the mall has state-of-the-art architecture inspired by the merging of social and cultural exaltation and aims to recast the country's story to the world by developing the new consumer culture of Brunei's commerce.[24] On 9 July 2006, the Rizqun International Hotel and The Mall shopping center were officially opened by the Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah. There are 378 staff members working at the hotel, 277 of whom are locals.[25] It is situated in the center of Gadong's commercial area. It is a three-story shopping mall with two spacious parking basements. After the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB) Complex in Pusat Bandar, it is the biggest mall in the Gadong area. On the top floor, there is a cinema next to a sizable food court with vendors serving a variety of various cuisines. In addition to being next to the food court on the top floor, The Arcade Funland is an arcade.[26]