Hanoi takes back the sidewalks: People support, officials are healthy

This "launch" has made many people hopeful, even though it is not a noisy "drum-beating" campaign.

From sidewalk encroachment like "everyday in the district"...

My house is located in the busiest commercial area of ​​Hanoi, for decades the sidewalks have always been encroached upon for business. First there were stalls on the sidewalks - gradually the market management board planned so that those stalls no longer exist, only stalls on a few streets under the road, the rest are sold in houses.

Khuong Ha Street (Khuong Dinh Ward, Thanh Xuan District) used to be bustling with stalls selling snacks, but now it is airy, clean and beautiful. Photo: VietnamNet

Some people explain that due to the small-scale farmer mentality, Vietnamese people like to compete. The proof is that everyone tries to stick their table out further than the house next door, even if it is only by a brick; and the sign must also stick out far enough to not be obscured. The "condescending" behavior of not inviting customers to the centralized parking area also leads to encroachment on both the sidewalk and the road. The second type of sidewalk encroachment is displaying goods inside the house but still trying to "stick" the table out, as far as possible.

The third form is the gathering of goods on the sidewalk, and the fourth form is the motorbikes of the customers, occupying the entire sidewalk, leaving no way for pedestrians. That is not to mention all kinds of awnings, both fixed and mobile, canopies, awnings, and all kinds of signs, some horizontal and some vertical, trying to stick out as far as possible into the street.

But also from the real story, besides those "protruding" houses, there are still businesses that do things differently: they have contracts with parking lots for customers to park for free (the homeowner pays, of course!) and also do not need to display their products far out on the street. Good news spreads far, they just attract customers and as the folk saying goes: the more generous you are, the more God will bless you.

Clear sidewalk for many pedestrians. Photo: Vietnamnet

…to Hanoi's "campaign" this time

It’s not that Hanoi has just “taken action” now, but for a long time the situation of “kidnapping and abandoning the plate” or “starting the elephant and then the mouse’s tail” has been happening frequently. That is, whenever the city has an important event, a big holiday… they take action for a while, then everything goes back to normal.

There is no shortage of whispers that there is “protection” everywhere, meaning that the encroachment of sidewalks and streets for business purposes is secretly approved by someone, someone responsible or related to the area. It cannot be denied that this is a phenomenon, a social evil to the point of being painful.

But this "launch" has made many people hopeful, even though it is not a campaign with much fanfare.

Perhaps the first reason is that the city leader has frankly “diagnosed” the problem, pointing out the reality of “protection” of sidewalk beer shops by police officers. He also clearly and strongly outlined the responsibilities of officers, district and ward leaders… in the success or failure of sidewalk maintenance, instead of blaming “people’s awareness”.

Second, the way of implementation, as described by a ward vice chairman: "After mobilizing and propagandizing to each household, today the ward organized a simultaneous campaign to clean up the sidewalks" seems to show that Hanoi has implemented the motto "Hanoi's way of doing things cannot be to launch a massive campaign but to do it in a sustainable way, so that people do not re-encroach, everyone must be convinced and feel that they must be conscious of the capital, not litter or encroach on the sidewalks."

Civil defense forces, women's union and youth union of Le Dai Hanh ward, Hai Ba Trung district went to remind shops on Hoa Lu street. Photo: Vietnamnet

Like in my ward, a few days ago, the Ward People's Committee sent people to remind street businesses to clean up voluntarily, instead of having to wait until the campaign day to frantically do it.

Just like when people understand that in a traffic jam, if everyone slowly gives way, the traffic will clear quickly, and if they push too hard, the traffic will get worse; now the sidewalk and the road are the same. Everyone moves back for the common good, then a clean sidewalk will make it easier to do business, not more difficult...

Of course, in the long term, Hanoi will have to continue to fundamentally and sustainably solve the problem of social security for people doing business, parking lots, etc. Doing so will not only harmonize public and personal interests, but will also ensure long-term effectiveness. Once it becomes a way of life, the government will no longer need to spend too much effort to maintain order.

According to Vietnamnet