"Be soft first, then hard."
Early in the morning on Do Luong Street (Phuoc Thang Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), while many shops and restaurants were still closed, the urban order task force went from street to street reminding people to remove awnings, tables, chairs, and other items encroaching on the sidewalks. Instead of just issuing fines as before, the local authorities have switched to a "soft approach first, then firm": prioritizing propaganda and persuasion to create consensus before dealing with violations.
During these campaigns, Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuoc Thang Ward, personally led the authorities to each business household to educate and guide residents on how to voluntarily dismantle awnings, move tables, chairs, and signs placed in violation of regulations. However, for cases where individuals have been repeatedly warned but continue to re-offend, the local authorities will take strict action to put an end to the long-standing encroachment on sidewalks. This change is creating positive signs in the local efforts to restore urban order.
Do Luong Street is one of the hotspots for urban order violations in Phuoc Thang ward. The street, approximately 1.6km long, is home to about 600 street vendors. Before launching the enforcement campaign, the ward surveyed the land use boundaries of about 250 households along the street to determine the area of violation, providing a legal basis for the enforcement process. Businesses were asked to sign commitments to comply with regulations regarding street and sidewalk order. To date, many households have proactively dismantled their illegal structures and moved their goods out of the encroaching areas. Mr. Vu Van Mung, a business owner on Do Luong Street, who is dismantling an awning encroaching on the sidewalk, said that after being informed and persuaded by the ward's authorities, his family agreed to comply.
Many residents living around the area have also noted positive changes in urban order recently. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, a resident living near Do Luong street, previously, street vending encroaching on the road was quite common, especially during peak hours, causing traffic congestion and affecting urban aesthetics. “Since the ward increased inspections and regular reminders, the roads are much clearer. People can walk and exercise more conveniently and safely,” Ms. Lan shared. The leaders of Phuoc Thang ward stated that the ward will continue to maintain regular patrols and install surveillance cameras in key areas to promptly detect and handle cases of re-encroachment on sidewalks and roads, aiming to restore sustainable urban order.
Adjust your habits using licensing software.
In the city center, managing roads and sidewalks is always a major challenge, especially in bustling commercial areas such as An Dong Market (An Dong Ward). After implementing the two-tiered local government model, the management area expanded, but there is no longer a dedicated Urban Order Management Team, leading to the recurrence of street and sidewalk encroachment by vendors. The task is assigned to the ward police, but with limited personnel, patrolling and controlling the area on a large scale faces considerable difficulties.
Based on that reality, An Dong ward developed the software "An Dong Street and Sidewalk Permit Issuance" (officially operational from today, May 15th). The software aims to reduce pressure on local authorities in the context of a large workload, limited personnel, and the limitations of manual management methods. Mr. Luong Quang Nhat Minh, a specialist in the Economic , Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of An Dong ward and a member of the software development team, said that residents can register or renew temporary sidewalk use directly on their phones without needing to go to the ward's People's Committee office. This system operates online, regardless of office hours or holidays, and integrates cashless payment to ensure transparency and minimize negative practices or unauthorized costs.
The "An Dong Street and Sidewalk Licensing" software not only helps reduce management pressure for the locality but also aims to organize the use of streets and sidewalks in a more orderly manner, creating fairness among businesses and contributing to the formation of a neater and more civilized urban landscape. "The locality expects the core effectiveness of this initiative to be a change in social awareness and behavior. Instead of continuing the cycle of 'fining to clear,' the software will act as a flexible tool to adjust the habits of using streets and sidewalks in particular, and public spaces in general, for the right purposes. The ultimate goal is to re-establish order, create a safe urban civilization, and bring common benefits to the community," said Mr. Luong Quang Nhat Minh.
From the beginning of 2026 to the present, the Ho Chi Minh City Police have conducted more than 24,000 patrols and inspections to address the encroachment and illegal use of roads and sidewalks. They have issued violation notices to over 33,000 cases, with fines totaling over 28 billion VND; transformed over 1,200 out of 1,765 roads and locations with complex public order issues; and organized 35,879 awareness campaigns, persuading 34,129 businesses to sign commitments not to engage in illegal street and sidewalk vending.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/lap-lai-trat-tu-via-he-tu-su-dong-thuan-post852684.html
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