No suitable management model yet
Restoring order to the road and sidewalks has been a major policy of Ho Chi Minh City for many years, aiming to achieve the criteria of a civilized, modern, and humane city. Along with investing in upgrading the infrastructure system and renovating sidewalks, localities have painted lines on the sidewalks, reserving the road for pedestrians. In early 2024, districts 1, 3, 4, 8, 10... will implement Decision No. 32/2023/QD-UBND dated July 26, 2023 of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the management and temporary use of a part of the road and sidewalk, allowing the collection of sidewalk fees to create a source of investment budget for the management, maintenance, and exploitation of the road and sidewalk.
The sidewalk of Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street (Binh Thanh District) has been occupied for trading and business, leaving no pedestrian walkway.
According to people's comments, since the toll collection was organized, the sidewalks have become more open. Notably, in the city center, the streets of Hai Ba Trung, Le Loi, Chu Manh Trinh, Nguyen Trai, etc. have become more orderly and neat. Recently, the sidewalk toll collection program has been temporarily suspended to choose a new method to comply with Decree No. 165/2024/ND-CP of the Government on the implementation of a number of articles of the Road Law. Many sidewalks were open, but now due to the lack of a management model and lack of inspection and supervision, they have become messy again. The streets of Hai Ba Trung, Nguyen Trai, Chu Manh Trinh, etc., which were previously model roads of "open roads and open sidewalks", have now become disorderly. On many sidewalks, people park their motorbikes and sell goods everywhere, leaving no room for pedestrians in many places.
In districts that have not yet implemented sidewalk fee collection according to Decision No. 32/2023/QD-UBND, sidewalks and roads are even more disorderly. "Hot spots" for encroachment on roads and sidewalks for trading and parking motorbikes are Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Nguyen Gia Tri, Le Van Duyet (Binh Thanh); Pham Van Bach, Tan Son (Tan Binh); Duong Quang Ham, Le Van Tho, Pham Van Chieu (Go Vap)... Mr. Phan Xuan Hai (residing in Go Vap district) said that Duong Quang Ham street has just been invested in and expanded. On the day the street was inaugurated, many people enthusiastically invited each other to walk for exercise. But now, every afternoon, vendors from residential areas and boarding houses pull carts, tables and chairs out to fill the sidewalks. Dozens of vendors line up, stretching hundreds of meters, leaving no room for pedestrians to squeeze in.
Only order when the army is in action
Restoring order to the streets and sidewalks to build a civilized and modern city is an urgent requirement. However, while the policy of collecting sidewalk fees has been temporarily suspended, “traditional” measures such as propaganda, confiscation of vehicles, administrative penalties, etc. are not enough of a deterrent.
Mr. Doan Van Du, Vice Chairman of Tan Binh District People's Committee, informed that to handle the "hot spot" of encroachment on sidewalks and roads on Pham Van Bach Street, the authorities have mobilized and reminded each household to do business and trade. The ward's urban order team coordinates with regular forces to clear out illegal business locations and encroachment on roads and sidewalks in the ward, concentrated on Pham Van Bach Street.
The district has temporarily seized 15 umbrellas, 27 signs, 7 cabinets, 28 homemade vehicles; at the same time, it has issued a warning to 60 food and beverage service and coffee businesses not to encroach on the roadway or sidewalk, and has imposed administrative fines on 20 cases with a total of 50 million VND. However, after that, the situation of buying and selling and encroaching on the roadway or sidewalk showed signs of reappearing.
In fact, the handling of encroachment on the road and sidewalk on Nguyen Gia Tri Street (Ward 25, Binh Thanh District) is like "throwing stones into a pond of duckweed", because after the campaign to restore order, the sidewalks and roads were clear for a while and then everything went back to normal. During the campaign from February 24 to March 7, 2025, the ward issued 43 records of violations in the field of road traffic, imposed fines of VND 80 million, temporarily seized 39 homemade carts, 54 signs, 773 tables and chairs of various types and other evidence.
After that, the encroachment of roads and sidewalks continued. The ward continued to launch a second campaign, from March 8 to March 19, 2025, drawing up 13 records of violations in the field of road traffic, imposing fines of 16.9 million VND, temporarily confiscating 14 signs, 157 tables and chairs, etc. People living on Pham Gia Tri Street were upset: "The roads and sidewalks are only clear when students are on summer vacation, but during the school year, encroachment occurs again."
An official from the People's Committee of Binh Thanh District said that some roads have changed, but if there is no inspection, people will encroach again. The difficulty in restoring order on the streets and sidewalks now is that it is difficult to punish street vendors using pushcarts if they are immigrants or have difficult circumstances. They accept having their goods and vehicles (often of small value) confiscated. Some people even resist when the authorities check and temporarily detain their illegal goods and vehicles.
Coordination in inspection and restoration of urban order is not high, especially for border routes, related to many other wards and districts. Some cases were handled for violations but did not pay the fine; violators did not have information about their bank accounts or salary management agencies, leading to difficulty in collecting fines.
TRAN YEN
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhung-quy-dinh-bi-lon-duong-thong-he-thoang-bai-toan-kho-giai-post798019.html
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