A messy scene as clothes spill onto the sidewalks in Vinh City.

(Baonghean.vn) - Mobile clothing stalls made from iron poles with two wheeled legs have sprung up all over Vinh City. These types of clothing businesses encroach on sidewalks and even use the road to sell their goods, obstructing traffic.

Street vendors selling clothes are encroaching on the sidewalks of Vinh City. Photo taken on Ngu Hai Street (Thanh Tam).

With a long iron bar about 4 meters long attached to two legs about 1.5 meters high, each with wheels for easy movement, Ms. Tuyet's mobile clothing stall in Block 14, Cua Nam Ward, has been operating on the sidewalk of Ngu Hai Street (right at the intersection with Thai Phien Street) for more than two years.

Dozens of clothes of all kinds are hung on a mobile rack, not only blocking the pedestrian walkway but also obstructing the view of traffic passing through this intersection. This type of unregistered, shopless selling has been practiced by hundreds of people in Vinh City for a long time. "Occasionally, the authorities come to clear the area and confiscate the goods, I have to pay a fine, and then I continue selling in the alleyways," said Ms. Pham Thi Tuyet.

Mobile clothing stalls encroaching on sidewalks and haphazardly erected structures detract from the urban aesthetics on Thai Phien Street (Vinh City). Photo: Thanh Tam

Thai Phien Street, connecting Tran Phu Street to Ngu Hai Street, is about 200 meters long, but it has nearly a dozen sidewalk clothing stalls like Ms. Tuyet's. Not only do these businesses occupy the entire sidewalk, blocking pedestrian access, but they also erect tarpaulins and umbrellas, making this section of the sidewalk even more cluttered.

"I often take my grandchild to school at the Vietnam-Germany Cultural Center, and we have to pass through this area. They display rows of clothes all over the sidewalk, so my grandchild and I have to walk a long distance in the road," complained Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thao from Hong Son ward.

Every day, starting at around 4 PM, 30-40 clothing stalls with pushcarts completely occupy the sidewalk of Tran Phu Street, near the Big C supermarket. Sellers and buyers are bustling about, and passersby park their vehicles in the middle of the road to browse and buy goods, causing chaos and obstructing traffic.

On Nguyen Trai Street, the section passing through Quan Banh Market also has dozens of pushcarts selling goods on the sidewalk, completely blocking the pedestrian walkway.

Clothing stalls occupy the sidewalk on Nguyen Trai Street. Photo by Thanh Tam.

Vinh City is focusing on clearing encroachments on sidewalks and traffic safety corridors. Accordingly, to address the issue of clothing vendors using pushcarts that occupy sidewalks, obstructing traffic and detracting from urban aesthetics, the authorities in the wards and communes need to strictly handle violations.

City leaders are also considering a plan to establish a market area where street vendors can conduct their business, creating a livelihood for many households. If implemented, this would address the issue of sidewalk encroachment, restore urban order, create jobs, and prevent tax evasion by street vendors.

The sidewalk on Tran Phu Street, near Big C supermarket, has been transformed into a mobile clothing market every afternoon, encroaching on the pedestrian walkway, with many vendors even occupying the road itself. Photo: Thanh Tam

“I used to sell clothes in Cua Nam flower garden, but since the city banned selling there, I moved to selling on the sidewalk of Thai Phien street. I know selling on the sidewalk is against the law and I get chased away and fined, which is exhausting. I just hope the city will plan a place for us to do business stably…” - Ms. Ngoc Anh, a mobile clothing vendor, shared.

Mr. Tung, a clothing business owner in Block 13, Cua Nam Ward, expressed: "In Vinh City, there's Cao Thang Street leading to Vinh Market, which is usually deserted at night. I think if it were planned as a night market for street vendors, the problem of sidewalk encroachment would be solved."

Vinh City Party Secretary: Plans will be made to arrange for street vendors.

"What do the people of Vinh City say about the sidewalk clearing campaign?"

Thanh Tam