'Don't let the night streets become drinking districts'

Presenting a plan for artistic lighting at Binh Tay Market at night.

On the morning of March 26th, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung and his delegation worked with the District 6 People's Committee on the project "Cho Lon Night Street associated with tourism development" in the district.

This project was submitted by the District 6 People's Committee in early 2023, and subsequently assigned by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to the Department of Industry and Trade to lead and coordinate with other departments and agencies to provide feedback and finalize it.

The Cholon Night Market is organized on the sidewalks of four streets: Nguyen Huu Than, Thap Muoi, Le Tan Ke, and Tran Binh, covering a total area of ​​over 1,500 ^m² . The sidewalks of Thap Muoi and Nguyen Huu Than streets are 8 meters wide and mostly occupied by businesses that only sell wholesale during the day and close at night. Because there are few residents living nearby, cultural activities will not significantly impact the local population.

Since April 2022, District 6 has been experimenting with a small-scale night market model in front of Binh Tay Market. Besides food , it also hosts many cultural and artistic activities on weekends.

The area surrounding Binh Tay Market has been proposed to be developed into the Cholon Night City.

According to Ms. Le Thi Thanh Thao, Chairwoman of the People's Committee of District 6, Binh Tay Market is bustling during the day but quiets down after 6 PM. Seeing the space being wasted, the local authorities came up with the idea of ​​organizing a night market.

Before developing the project, District 6 surveyed many night markets in various districts of Ho Chi Minh City, as well as studying successful models in other countries in the region. The local goal is not only to attract visitors to eat, drink, and see the market, but also to foster interaction.

District 6 has also submitted a plan to the Department of Culture and Sports to project artistic lighting at Binh Tay Market at night to create a highlight.

Ms. Le Thi Thanh Thao, Chairwoman of the People's Committee of District 6, said that the Cho Lon night market project will be meticulously developed and comprehensively evaluated before operation.

"The district's creation of the night market isn't about showing off or following a trend. We're doing it slowly but surely, so that once the night market is operational, it will always be brightly lit," Ms. Thao said. However, the district leader also acknowledged that areas with existing businesses will find it easier to stabilize, while new types of businesses will require more effort and be more difficult to maintain.

Regarding the implementation schedule, District 6 will renovate the sidewalks of the aforementioned streets for official operation in 2024.

Adding a highlight to the night street.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung pointed out that in the city, there are very successful night street models such as Ho Thi Ky Street (District 10) which attracts a large number of young people, but there are also night streets that lack sustainable vitality.

Mr. Dung supported the plan to open a night market in the Binh Tay market area, and at the same time suggested that District 6 conduct a thorough assessment once again, paying attention to ensuring infrastructure such as electricity, water, parking, environmental hygiene, and food safety.

Local authorities, in coordination with the Department of Transport and the Department of Construction, will unify the management and operation of the infrastructure system. In particular, the Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City requested that the city's night streets not be used for drinking.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung emphasized the need to prevent excessive drinking in the city's night streets.

Regarding rental rates, Deputy Director of the Department of Finance Nguyen Tran Phu suggested that market rental prices should be surveyed and auctions should be organized for the rental of locations to avoid future complaints.

Revenue from the auction will be deposited into the state budget. Mr. Phu suggested that the Binh Tay Market Management Board annually prepare a budget to allocate funds for the operation of the night market, avoiding confusion between market management and night market management.

Representatives from the Department of Tourism assessed that the demand for food has already reached saturation, so focusing solely on selling food and drinks without any unique selling points will struggle to attract customers. Furthermore, not far from Binh Tay Market, there is already Hau Giang Food Street, also located within the same district.

This representative cited Ben Thanh Market as an example, which offers activities beyond food, such as photo opportunities and cultural and artistic performances. "There should be activities for visitors to participate in to increase its appeal. We could introduce traditional crafts for visitors to experience. Instead of just selling food, there could be an area where people can learn how to make those dishes and experience some of the steps involved," the representative from the Department of Tourism suggested.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/pho-chu-tich-tphcm-khong-de-pho-dem-thanh-pho-nhau-18524032613173467.htm