Dien Chau: Irrationality in market planning

(Baonghean)Tan Minh Market (Dien Phuc commune, Dien Chau district) was completed and put into use at the end of 2007. It was bustling and crowded for about 10 days before gradually becoming deserted. In 2010, another investment and upgrade was made, but the market only operated for a week before returning to its previous state. Not far away, So Market – the main market of Dien Chau district – has had to be temporarily set up in a cramped, polluted area... This irrational situation has persisted in Dien Chau district for several years now.

Following the district's policy of expanding the market's urban planning, with each commune having a small "makeshift" market to serve the local population, Dien Phuc commune selected a location in Tan Minh hamlet to build a market. The district provided 30 million VND in funding, 11 households contributed 3 million VND each, and the remainder came from the commune's budget. The total cost of the project was nearly 300 million VND. However, after completion at the end of 2007, the market only operated for about 10 days before becoming deserted. Later, the market reopened for a second time but had to close again due to a lack of buyers and sellers.

Looking at the empty, well-built stalls at Tan Minh Market, left exposed to rain and sun, hundreds of small traders doing business at the nearby So Market, 200 meters away, can't help but feel regret. They were formerly businesses at Phu Dien Market, but to make way for the Phu Dien Commercial Center and Muong Thanh Hotel project, they agreed to move to the current temporary So Market. According to the initial plan, So Market was only supposed to operate for one year before being relocated to the new market in the old Phu Dien Commercial Center. However, more than three years have passed, the commercial center has been inaugurated and is operational, but the small traders are still forced to do business in the old, dilapidated, and polluted temporary market. Business there is also difficult because the new market is far from the center and off the main road, resulting in a significant decrease in customers. Ms. Minh, a fish vendor, said: "Since moving here, our income has decreased by almost a third, and the business conditions are extremely poor. Rain or shine, the market is always muddy and dirty."

A squalid scene at the makeshift market - the Shell Market.



The Green Market behind the Phu Dien Commercial Center is now vacant.

It's not just the businesses operating within the market that are suffering from the pollution; nearby families are also frustrated because waste and wastewater from the market flow directly into their homes through the drainage ditches. Numerous petitions have been sent to various levels of government, but the authorities are powerless to find an optimal, long-term solution for the "temporary market." The small traders are also extremely worried because, according to the initial contract, the So Market was only supposed to operate for one year, but now, more than two years have passed, and the district government has yet to offer a replacement. When asked why they don't move to the Green Market, built behind the Phu Dien Commercial Center, Ms. Ngoc, a small trader, thoughtfully replied: "We sell fish and shrimp that are so smelly and pungent. How can we possibly sell them behind a large hotel? Besides, this market usually has 300-400 vendors on a normal day; if we move to the new, cramped market, there won't be enough space for everyone."

The current situation of markets in Dien Chau district, where some areas have an oversupply while others have a shortage, is a shortcoming in market planning and management. Furthermore, maintaining numerous small markets simultaneously within a relatively small area like Dien Chau town can be seen as a fragmented investment, unsuitable for a center undergoing modernization. Given this reality, to keep pace with the district's plan to become a type 4 market town in the future, Dien Chau district is proceeding with the construction of a central market in Dien Thanh commune, approximately 1 km from Phu Dien market towards the sea.

According to the plan, Dien Thanh Market will be invested with a total capital of approximately 74 billion VND and, after completion, will meet the trading needs of about 800 households. With its advantage in coastal tourism, the district also aims to make Dien Thanh Market a future shopping destination for seafood specialties for tourists. To date, land clearance has been largely completed, and infrastructure construction has also been finished. Dien Thanh Commune – the project's investor – is currently implementing the bidding process. The biggest difficulty currently is funding, because besides the 25% support from the province, the remaining capital depends entirely on the commune's internal resources and fees collected from business households – said Mr. Phan Nhat Thanh, Chairman of the Dien Thanh Commune People's Committee.

Although the planning process is still underway, drawing on lessons learned from previously implemented markets, Mr. Dau Ngoc Long, Deputy Head of the District's Department of Industry and Trade, commented: Building a large-scale central market is absolutely necessary for Dien Chau district and will resolve all existing bottlenecks. However, the construction process also needs careful consideration, otherwise the market might be built too large.

Dam Phuong - My Ha