Clearing sidewalks: It's difficult when emotion outweighs reason.

The culture of respect for the law is lacking even among law enforcement officials, allowing emotions to override reason.having someone backing you up"That's very difficult," shared Dr. Dang Hoang Giang and Dr. Khuat Viet Hung.

How to reclaim sidewalks without making a big deal out of nothing?

Dr. Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, expressed concern: "We do not yet have a culture of respect for the rule of law, even among law enforcement officials, let alone the general public."

According to him, some people prioritize personal relationships over the rule of law, and this has undermined the culture of respect for the law. When it comes to decisive action, clearing sidewalks, and conflicts, law enforcement officers suddenly become the "villains."

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang, Deputy Director of the Center for Community Support and Development Research (CECODES), cited the figure of "150 out of 180 beer establishments have police protection" from Hanoi City Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung and exclaimed: "That's a terrifying number!"

"As long as local authorities cannot handle such cases... then people and businesses who want to seize public property for their own purposes will continue to do so," Mr. Giang said.

A final suggestion from the speakers to local authorities was: there should be a hotline for reporting violations of sidewalk encroachment.

PV:Clearly, we have a very comprehensive and strict legal framework. However, despite numerous attempts to reclaim sidewalks, violations and encroachment continue to recur. So, where does the fault lie? What lessons can we learn from the past to address sidewalk issues in the present?

Dr. Khuat Viet HungActually, in this context, using the word "culture" is a bit broad. But it can be said that we do not yet have a culture of respect for the rule of law, even among law enforcement officials, let alone the general public.

For example, people encroach on sidewalks, we clear them away, but then they return and re-offend. The resolute image of law enforcement sometimes leads to conflicts, such as specific conflicts between people, due to personality and attitudes like "I hate your face," for instance... Law enforcement officers become seen as villains.

This is because the culture of respect for the rule of law has not yet reached all aspects of life. As a result, even law enforcement officials themselves may handle situations with both reason and compassion, but prioritize personal feelings over the actual outcome.

Initially, I thought, "If I see someone I know here, like the woman selling sticky rice or the man selling noodles, I'll just leave it there; nobody will die."

But the real problem here is that we are destroying the culture of the rule of law by adopting a "my friend is poor, so please be understanding" attitude. That's why these stories become like "throwing stones into a pond full of weeds," the weeds scatter and then reappear. Now we must build this culture.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang:I think that our inability to effectively manage sidewalk order is similar to our inability to manage building height. It's a weakness of the system; we have laws, but they're not being enforced. And the authorities might tolerate it out of sentiment, or because of a shared financial benefit, for example.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang shared his thoughts on sidewalk clearing efforts in the program "Straight Talk". Photo: Internet.

How can we avoid such situations? I think we need very clear channels for people to report problems. For example, if people see a karaoke bar occupying more sidewalk space and parking about a dozen motorbikes there, they should report it, and when they report it, the authorities should take action. If people see a police officer who is a friend of the karaoke bar owner and they don't take action, they should report it to a higher-level channel.

When such incidents are reported through that channel, and the authorities respond quickly and fairly, everything will be fine.

PV:However, regarding those officials responsible for managing sidewalks who allowed such violations to occur, do you think they have been severely punished?

Recently, Hanoi city leaders have frankly stated that nearly 80% of beer establishments have police officers behind them.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang:Mr. Chung (Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee - PV) stated that 150 out of 180 beer establishments have the backing of the police. That's a shocking number.

I think, why don't we investigate this? I see every reason to investigate the extent of this problem, what the penalties should be, how the police officers providing protection will be disciplined, and what the penalties will be for those beer establishments.

Dr. Khuat Viet Hung:I completely agree with this! We have to recognize that this is a common culture found in almost every part of the world. We rarely see any country where the disciplinary action against law enforcement officers is so widespread. That's a very clear story.

What I want to say is that we don't yet have a culture of rule of law here. Of course, there are many factors involved. As I just said, a culture of respect for the law needs to permeate all levels of society in order for it to be effective.

Dr. Khuất Việt Hùng shares his views on clearing sidewalks. Photo: Internet.

For example, if you want to take action against the government, someone has to sue. But usually, people are very reluctant to sue the government because they don't see any real outcome. Even within the law enforcement system, there is still a culture that doesn't uphold the rule of law. We have to be frank with each other about this.

So, in this sidewalk issue, such a phenomenon has occurred, such a problem has arisen! And as Mr. Giang said, I also think it has become a habit.

How should we change? For example, Mr. Chung (Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee) mentioned the figure of 150/180, which is a number worth reflecting on.

Obviously, how do we handle that now? This is an issue where we've always expected the media to play a role in monitoring.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang:In conclusion, if we want to become a Singapore, we must first address issues like the police-backed beer establishments. If we don't address that, then all the other issues—street vendors, motorbike parking, etc.—will only be for show and won't solve the root of the problem.

Secondly, Mr. Hung said that the people didn't speak up, didn't send letters, or didn't file complaints… I myself have complained quite a lot about things around my neighborhood, such as a woodworking factory that sprays paint and smells terrible… It's very difficult, and there's never any response from the authorities.

As long as local authorities fail to handle such cases, all citizens and businesses who want to seize public property for private purposes will continue to do so.

Dr. Khuat Viet Hung:I completely agree with Mr. Giang! We must reduce the number from 150/180 to just 15 and 0. That is the responsibility of the government and its leaders; we must certainly do it.

We may not always know exactly how they solve it, but we can see it for ourselves, for example, that kind of thing doesn't happen on the sidewalks anymore. I don't know where they're protesting, or what their purpose is, but that kind of thing no longer happens, no more indiscriminate encroachment without anyone taking action... The point is, that phenomenon no longer exists.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang:Excuse me, Mr. Hung, let's say the beer bar near my house sets up all its tables and chairs on the sidewalk, is there a phone number I can call to report this to the local authorities? Is there a hotline available now?

Dr. Khuat Viet HungCurrently in Hanoi, I haven't actually seen that phone number. However, I think it's possible to text the Chairman directly. If you find it, you can text me, and I will relay that message to the local authorities.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang:Therefore, we need a mechanism. Hundreds of people can't be messaging him; he has many other things to do, just like the chairman...

Dr. Khuat Viet Hung:Therefore, the National Safety Committee currently has 11 hotline numbers for various areas. Specifically for traffic safety, there are 4 numbers belonging to the Committee's Office, one of which I am in charge of!

Sidewalks should be reclaimed for pedestrians, but that doesn't mean creating completely empty sidewalks. The purpose of reclaiming them is to arrange them in a rational and lawful manner. There should be spaces for pedestrians, sections for parking, and sections where people are allowed to conduct business.

According to Vietnamnet