Plan early for streets where sidewalks can be leased.

(Baonghean)To develop into a civilized and modern city, while ensuring clear roads and sidewalks, the city needs to rationally utilize and manage certain streets by renting out sidewalk space for business purposes.

While renting out sidewalks has become commonplace in major cities like Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, this has been a significant problem in urban management in Vinh City in recent years.

Due to the lack of official policies and documents from the authorities, some inner-city wards have been operating in different ways. Some arbitrarily rent out space, while others don't rent it out but collect fees to maintain operations, only to clear it during enforcement campaigns. This is undesirable for both sidewalk users and management agencies, as constantly being fined and having their businesses relocated is something no one wants. In reality, investigations reveal that businesses, in one way or another, incur costs to avoid being reminded or fined to use the sidewalks.

Through surveys of several inner-city streets such as Hong Bang, Dinh Cong Trang, Ngu Hai, Cao Thang, Tran Phu, Ngo Duc Ke, and Le Huan (leading to Vinh Market Bus Station), it was found that whether permitted or not, stall owners still occupy sidewalk space for business, affecting the movement of pedestrians.

Because it's unclear whether to allow or absolutely prohibit the renting of sidewalk space to ensure "clear roads and sidewalks," management and supervision are also very difficult. September – Traffic Safety Month – sees many small businesses that rely on sidewalks for their operations trying to cope with enforcement campaigns to clear the sidewalks.

Ensuring clear and unobstructed sidewalks is essential. However, to manage urban traffic order and ensure the sustainable development of the city, Vinh City should learn from the practices of some major cities. They should conduct surveys and plan each street to clearly define which sidewalks are available for commercial lease, specifying the lease term, area, and fees to increase budget revenue. Furthermore, these cities should urgently survey and clearly define modern streets that ensure aesthetics and clear sidewalks, so that local authorities can strictly and decisively address illegal sidewalk encroachment.