[sustran] Street Commerce banned in Hanoi

[Craig August Johnson]

Dear All,
I just arrived in Hanoi Vietnam and I noticed that the People's Committee
of Hanoi has banned and are rigoursly enforcing a ban on all
pavement-based commerce and most pavement motorbike/bicycle parking
(yet somehow cars can still park without penalty in the World Bank funded
and clearly marked bike lanes)

I dug around and found this article which claims that the government is
spending millions of dollars to clear the pavement in hopes of improving
traffic.

Does anyone have any more substantial information regarding the impact
and/or the public reaction to this street-commerce clearing initiative in
Hanoi?

Also, can anyone explain or provide data on how pavement-based street
commerce affects traffic flow? It seems to me that pavement-based street
commerce affects traffic flow about as much as street trees...

Thank you,
Craig Johnson


HEADLINE: CULTURE & SOCIETY: HANOI TO CRACK DOWN ON STREET COMMERCE

BODY:In an unprecedented move to win back order on streets and pavements
in the inner-city, Hanoi authorities are set to enact strict rules and
earmark substantial funding to remove pavement-based kiosks and stalls
throughout the city in August.The authority plans to spend a total of
VND80 billion ($ 5.16 million) building 119 markets, including VND27
billion ($ 1.74 million) from the city budget to relocate street vendors
to new markets.Under the plan, vendors will be resettled at 175 markets to
be built from now until 2020 by Hanoi People's Committee. The markets, to
be added to the existing three wholesale agricultural markets and 10 newly
built retail markets, will have sufficient space for all street vendors.
In addition to financial support measures, the city government has set
strict rules in recently issued Decree 63 to curb people from acquiring
sidewalks for placing kiosks and stalls. Under the decree, no person is
allowed to use sidewalks for setting up kiosks or stalls. Any front-street
house owner who wishes to use footpaths must seek permission from local
authorities.Approval from the municipal Service of Transport and Public
Works is also mandatory for entities and individuals operating parking
spaces on pavements, and can only be on pavements of three meters in width
or more. Sidewalks of no less than one meter width are mandatory for every
street. Eateries permitted to do business can run only at regulated
hours.The crack-down, to begin in August, will sweep out not just
inner-city streets, but also arteries and ring-roads, according to Hanoi
authorities.In enforcing these strict rules, authorities hope to put an
end to the nagging problem of street vendors, long blamed for exacerbating
traffic disorder.According to the local Service of Trade, there are now
tens of thousands of street vendors and pavement-based family kiosks that
are considered as major contributors to Hanoi's already chaotic traffic
and pollution.While Hanoi has already adopted measures to remove street
vendors, Ho Chi Minh City has not yet reached any final solution over the
thorny issue, which remains controversial among city regulators and local
social researchers.
(Pioneer Jul 17 p3, VNS Jul 15 p3)
JOURNAL-CODE: VNBLOAD-DATE: July 18, 2003