Sungai Dua is a town in Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

, Malaysia. It is located in the east part of Penang Island

Penang Island

Penang Island is part of the state of Penang, on the west coat of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British East India Company on 12 August 1786, in honour of the birthday of the Prince of Wales, later King George IV...

. The nearest town from Sungai Dua is Gelugor

Gelugor

Gelugor is a town located at the southern part of Georgetown, a midway town between Georgetown and Sungai Dua...

.

History

The name Sungai Dua is because it is located between two rivers, and hence the name Sungai Dua (Two Rivers). It grew in population as a result of the opening of Universiti Sains Malaysia

Universiti Sains Malaysia

Universiti Sains Malaysia is a public university with its main campus in Penang, Malaysia. There are three branch campuses: one in mainland Penang , one in Kelantan on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and a offshore collaboration with a university in India...

 (Science University of Malaysia) in 1969. The site of USM was originally the British military barracks and also served as the Japanese military campsite during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The majority of early settlements were Chinese Hokkien. Most of the Chinese Hokkien then lived in kampung (village) and their standard of education were at the level of primary or secondary. Very few made it to tertiary education due to poverty. The first school ever established in Sungai Dua was the Keong Hoe School which was later moved upwards in the latter 80's.

The major influx of USM students from out of state and the rising population of Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

 has contributed greatly to the expansion and growth of Sungai Dua.

Currently Sungai Dua is a developed town and houses numerous modern infrastructure and facilities. 24-hour food outlets and convenience stores are abundant and multi-story apartment complexes are on the rise in the area. Mega shopping outlet Tesco Extra

Tesco

Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...

 (formerly Makro) opened its outlet on 21 May 2007 in Sungai Dua to cater to the needs of the ever-growing numbers of residents. Fast food outlets and modern culinary such as McDonald's

McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...

, KFC

KFC

KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...

, Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....

 and Baskin Robins have also opened stores in Sungai Dua.

The Queensbay Mall

Queensbay Mall

Queensbay Mall is a shopping mall situated in Penang, Malaysia. It is in the heart of the Queensbay development, formerly known as Bayan Bay before it was abandoned during the East Asian financial crisis. At that time, the mall was referred to as Bayan World Megamall...

, Bayan Lepas

Bayan Lepas

Bayan Lepas is a town in Penang, Malaysia being home to the Penang International Airport. It has a population of about 141,000 people. Bayan Lepas is the main industrial hub of Penang, being home to the Free Industrial Zone, where factories of many multinational companies are located...

 which is the largest in Penang, is a 5-minute drive from the Sungai Dua offering various entertainment to the residents.

Taman Pekaka

Taman Pekaka is one of the residential areas located within Sungai Dua and encompasses a vast array of housing areas including terrace houses, apartments and flats. Taman Pekaka is well known throughout Penang Island as being one of the major housing areas in Sungai Dua and one of the oldest in the vicinity. The housing area is also a point of interest for the Malaysia Science University students.

Accessibility

The Penang Bridge, which is a 5-minute drive from the Sungai Dua, brings convenience to the residents to exit the Penang Island. The Sungai Dua is also adjacent to the major highway i.e. the Jelutong Expressway, linking the residents to major cities or to major transportation hubs such as the Weld Quay (Penang Ferry Service

Penang Ferry Service

Penang Ferry Service is the oldest ferry service in Malaysia. Located in the state of Penang, this famous ferry service connects Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal in Butterworth to Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal at Weld Quay in George Town in Penang Island....

), the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal and the Penang International Airport.