HCM City creates space for street vendors

 

HCM City (VNA) - HCM City authorities have announced plans to revamp 159 streets to create space for street food vendors there following a successful three-month trial of street vendor “markets” on Nguyen Van Chiem street and Bach Tung Diep Park in District 1.

Chairman of the District 1 People’s Committee Tran The Thuan has carried out a tour of his district to set up more food streets.

Besides, seven out of the district’s 10 wards have submitted plans for creating food streets and are awaiting approval for launch this month, while the other three are now scouting for locations, he said.

Duong Hong Thang, Vice chairman of the Binh Thanh district People’s Committee, said a section of Dien Bien Phu street in front of the HCM City University of Technology (Hutech) has been chosen for trialling a food street.

It would have some 20 stalls, mainly run by poor street vendors living in the district, he said.

After a three-month trial, district authorities would create more food streets elsewhere in the district, he said.

District 3 Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Binh said his district has petitioned the city authorities to turn its downtown area, including Ho Con Rua (Turtle Lake in Ward 6) and sections of roads leading to the lake such as Tran Cao Van, Vo Van Tan and Pham Ngoc Thach into walking streets.

A number of food streets would also be located here, enabling local residents to earn a living.

Vice Chairman of the Go Vap district People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Nghia said the Urban Transport Management Division No 3 has drafted a plan to build a street vendors’ market at Gia Dinh Park (in Binh Thanh district).

However, the district authorities are unsure if the park is big enough since the district has a large number of street vendors, who could then spill into the streets around it, he said.

According to Pham Ngoc Dung, deputy head of the division, relevant agencies are waiting to evaluate the trial on Nguyen Van Chiem street.

The model would be used in Go Vap to stop vendors from using sidewalks and to return the sidewalks to pedestrians and ensure traffic safety, he said.

Nguyen Van Dung, deputy head of the Urban Transport Management Division No 1, said the city should create spaces on many streets where poor street vendors could sell their stuff at certain hours.

He suggested Pham Ngu Lao and Nguyen Trai streets as possible roads for the purpose.

Vu Viet Ha, deputy chief inspector at the Department of Transport, said the proposal by District 1 to earmark places for street vendors is “rational” and offers a long-term solution to the problem of pavement encroachment.-VNA