The pedestrian street along Ha Long Bay is deserted.

From the end of June, the People's Committee of Ha Long City (Quang Ninh) inaugurated the Bai Tho pedestrian street. This is one of eight new tourism products of the locality in 2023 aimed at improving service quality and attracting tourists.

The group of street vendors with their statue-painting service stalls on Bai Tho pedestrian street sat there all evening, but no one came by.

The Bai Tho pedestrian street is implemented on two streets: Long Tien and Le Quy Don (Bach Dang Ward, Ha Long City), with a length of nearly 400m, passing through 17 residential areas and approximately over 500 households. The pedestrian street operates from 6 PM to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays every week.

When it first opened, the area was bustling with locals and tourists alike. However, over the past month or so, Bai Tho pedestrian street has gradually fallen into oblivion, with vendors weeping over sluggish business.

Mr. Pham Van Tung (48 years old, Bach Dang Ward, Ha Long City) said: "I find Bai Tho pedestrian street to be following a beaten path, with undiverse services, especially lacking distinctive products. The shops sell Chinese toys, and the food mainly consists of low-quality snacks."

Chinese toys, street vendors on Bai Tho pedestrian street.

Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper , Ms. Le Hoai Thu, Director of Halotour Tourism Co., Ltd., said: "Many tour groups, upon arriving at Bai Tho pedestrian street, insist on leaving early because there are no special services here. Many people consider the location a mistake, as there are almost no shops or restaurants."

"The pedestrian street is a place for nightlife, where tourists can enjoy vibrant entertainment services, not walk until their feet ache just to go to bed. If this continues, sooner or later the Bai Tho pedestrian street will fail and close down," Ms. Thu said.

According to observations by Thanh Niên reporters, during last week's opening period, Bai Tho pedestrian street closed quite early. By around 10 PM, there were almost no people around, and the shops were "closed and locked".

Here are some images of Bai Tho pedestrian street being open but… with no pedestrians:

The Bai Tho pedestrian street was deserted at 11 PM due to a lack of visitors.

Later that evening, around 8 PM, the situation wasn't much better, with only residents of the neighborhood opening their doors to enjoy the cool air.

The late-night food stalls were set up, but there were no customers.

Some small business owners said that in the first few weeks, they had several hundred customers, but later on, business slowed down.

The shops were completely empty.

Many locals and tourists believe that the lack of unique features and bland products have caused the Bai Tho pedestrian street to fail prematurely.

It was only 10 PM, but people's cars were already arriving at the pedestrian street.

Although it's a pedestrian street, the locals bring out tables and chairs to sit around, creating a lively atmosphere.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/pho-di-bo-ben-bo-vinh-ha-long-e-khach-185230820093612065.htm