Building public toilets on "prime land"

In late March 2023, the People's Committee of District 1 proposed to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City the socialization of investment in public toilets at 5 undeveloped land plots in the district.

Take advantage of "prime land"

Specifically, these include the project land at 8-12 Le Duan and 2-4-6 Hai Ba Trung managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (TN-MT); the project land at 8 Nguyen Trung Truc managed by the People's Committee of District 1; the Tax Department Store project land at 135 Nguyen Hue owned by Saigon Trading Corporation Limited (SATRA), which has not yet been developed; and the Majestic Hotel expansion project land at 2-4-6 Nguyen Hue owned by Saigon Tourism Corporation Limited ( Saigontourist ), which is currently suspended.

Specifically, regarding the two land plots managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, District 1 proposed that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee instruct the Department to direct the Land Fund Development Center to temporarily transfer a portion of the area to the District People's Committee for the construction of public restrooms by investors, and that the land would be returned immediately upon the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee's direction.

The project site is located at 8-12 Le Duan Street.

Regarding the two plots of land currently managed by businesses, the District 1 People's Committee has requested the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to direct SATRA and Saigontourist to approve the temporary use of a portion of the area to cooperate with the investor in constructing the NVSCC (National Vocational Training Center for Public Health), and to return the land when these businesses need to use it again.

In early April 2023, the Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Nguyen Toan Thang, sent a document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee expressing support for the proposal of the District 1 People's Committee. More than a week later, the Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Bui Xuan Cuong, issued a document approving the proposal and directing District 1 to work with the investor on commitments to implement the construction.

Transforming the face of the city center.

Speaking with a reporter from Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, Mr. Vu Nguyen Quang Vinh, Vice Chairman of the District 1 People's Committee, said that the tasks have been implemented after receiving the agreement of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the direction of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

Regarding the land plot for the Tax Department Store project at 135 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1, discussions have taken place with SATRA. SATRA responded that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has approved District 1's proposal but has not yet issued official directives, so SATRA is awaiting them. As for the land plot at 2-4-6 Nguyen Hue Street, Saigontourist responded that construction on the project is imminent... Therefore, from 5 locations, District 1 now has 4 remaining locations in the plan for constructing public restrooms.

The public restrooms at 8 Nguyen Trung Truc Street are about to open.

To date, two investors, the Vietnam Toilet Association and Tien Phong Technology JSC, have participated in the lottery to deploy public toilet installations at four locations. Tien Phong Technology JSC won two plots of land managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, while the Vietnam Toilet Association will implement the project at the remaining two locations.

District 1 has a high concentration of shops, hotels, and shopping malls, making it very convenient to encourage these establishments to provide restrooms for residents and tourists. In March, District 1 successfully persuaded 100 restaurants and cafes to offer free restroom use to tourists and residents.

According to Mr. Vu Nguyen Quang Vinh, after the draw, the units began implementing the project to quickly bring these facilities into service for residents and tourists. To date, the public restrooms at 8 Nguyen Trung Truc Street have been installed and are about to become operational.

Investors spend over 500 million VND on one public restroom with a mixed-use cubicle for men and women. A cabin will be brought to the site, the foundation built, and electricity and water connected. "Finding a construction site is difficult enough, but having the money is even harder. The state budget doesn't invest; it has to be socialized, but the advantage is that the amount of money isn't large," said the Vice Chairman of the District 1 People's Committee, speaking about the public restrooms installed in prime locations.

Mr. Vu Nguyen Quang Vinh also stated that the public restroom at Phong Chau Park (Pham Viet Chanh - Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street), which started construction on March 20th, was put into operation by the District 1 Public Service Company Limited at the end of April. This public restroom cost 420 million VND and has 5 stalls, including one for people with disabilities.

According to our reporter's investigation, the addition of more public restrooms in District 1 in particular, and Ho Chi Minh City in general, has received much approval from residents and tourists. Among them, Mr. Hoang Nghia Ly (a resident of Thu Duc City) said that on weekends he often goes to public places with his children and grandchildren for recreation, and the most common inconvenience he encounters is the issue of "relieving himself."

"I see many vacant spaces that are being wasted. If NVSCC (National Vocational Training Center for Tourists) were built there, even temporarily, it would bring many benefits. Among those benefits is the affirmation of the government's thoughtfulness towards the people and tourists," Mr. Hoang Nghia Ly expressed.

Appropriate attention

During a meeting with the District 1 People's Committee in mid-March 2023, Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen emphasized the need to prioritize public restrooms in line with essential and important needs. He stressed the importance of paying attention to, investing in, and managing public restrooms in accordance with the city's goals of being civilized, modern, and compassionate. In the long term, he stressed the need for continued review and inspection of the consistency and scientific approach to implementing public restrooms in District 1, including consistency in planning, construction, environment, transportation, and culture.

The Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee requested a review and inspection of all existing but out-of-function public restrooms for repair and reactivation. In addition, a plan should be quickly developed to install mobile restrooms in necessary locations.

3 groups of solutions

Recently, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Bui Xuan Cuong instructed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, based on reports from departments, agencies, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City and districts, to compile and propose investment in the construction and management of public restrooms according to three groups.

Group 1 - For existing public sanitation facilities (in parks, markets, bus stations, and public areas), research and propose improvements to environmental sanitation to ensure service for residents and tourists.

Group 2 - planned new construction. This group needs to specify the planned location, area size, investment value, investment method, management and operation methods, toilet design, and legal basis.

Group 3 - restrooms in businesses, shops, eateries, restaurants, hotels, etc. In this group, relevant departments, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City, and the districts and communes are tasked with continuing to encourage support and create conditions for residents and tourists to use them free of charge.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su/xay-nha-ve-sinh-cong-cong-tren-dat-vang-20230507212032637.htm