To make the streets civilized

(Baonghean)Directive 05 of the Standing Committee of the Vinh City Party Committee on strengthening urban management is a major, correct, and practical policy reflecting "the will of the Party and the aspirations of the people." To put the directive into practice, Vinh City has implemented it simultaneously, mobilizing the entire political system to participate, demonstrating its determination to establish urban order and discipline in the area, restoring clear roads and sidewalks, and creating a civilized urban environment.

For a civilized city

On November 25, 2011, the Standing Committee of the Vinh City Party Committee issued Directive 05; the Vinh City People's Committee further specified this with Plan No. 58 to strengthen the leadership of Party committees at all levels in managing urban order in the area. Directive 05 outlines tasks, solutions, and assigns specific responsibilities down to the grassroots Party organizations and the entire political system. It specifically assigns responsibility to the Party Secretaries and Chairmen of the People's Committees of wards and communes. Wards and communes have closely followed the spirit of Directive 05, focusing all resources and organizing simultaneous campaigns to restore urban order and discipline, keeping roads and sidewalks clear, and organizing many coordinated campaigns.

Tran Phu Street viewed from above.

We visited Truong Thi ward, one of the central wards of Vinh City. The previously unsightly streets and sidewalks encroached upon by vendors have been transformed into clean, tree-lined, and well-maintained thoroughfares marked with signs reading "No Street Vendors on Sidewalks." These sections of road, maintained by the women's association, have become a positive image in the eyes of the city's residents, contributing to the collective effort of the community to create cleaner, more beautiful streets and protect a healthy living environment.

In implementing Directive 05 of the Vinh City Party Committee, since the beginning of 2012, the Women's Union of Truong Thi Ward has registered to carry out practical work: Women have taken responsibility for building a street free of sidewalk vending. The Union, in coordination with the blocks along the street, organized clean-up campaigns, whitewashing, marking, and placing signs that read "Street Free of Sidewalk Vending." They also propagated and encouraged households to sign commitments to comply with regulations, and coordinated with the ward's enforcement team to regularly inspect, remind, confiscate goods, and fine households that repeatedly violate the rules. Ms. Phan Thi Thuy Hang, President of the Truong Thi Ward Women's Union, shared: "This is a small but meaningful action, demonstrating the responsibility of the women's union in building a green, clean, and beautiful city."

In implementing Directive 05, Hung Phuc ward established a steering committee to compile and review violations of sidewalk regulations in all 11 residential blocks, including agencies and schools in the area. To enhance effectiveness, the ward Party Committee issued Resolution No. 31-NQ/DU on urban management. The resolution assigns specific responsibilities to political and social organizations. In particular, it emphasizes the responsibility of the leaders and incorporates this work into the performance evaluation criteria for cadres, Party members, organizations, and associations. Cadres and civil servants are assigned to directly monitor the situation, inspect and supervise implementation with the motto: The focus is on persuasion, minimizing the need for coercive measures to address violations. It can be said that Directive 05 on strengthening the Party's leadership in managing urban order in the area has not only led to various organizations and associations adopting approaches linked to their political tasks, but more importantly, the policy has been widely supported and embraced by the majority of the people.

In the initial phase of the campaign, 31 main streets with many "hot spots" of encroachment on traffic safety corridors in the area, such as Phan Dinh Phung, Le Duan, Nguyen Van Cu, Le Hong Phong, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Sy Sach, etc., have had their sidewalks and roads cleared, ensuring safety for traffic participants and improving the urban aesthetics of Vinh City. The directive has truly had a positive impact on people's awareness of maintaining traffic safety and environmental sanitation, gradually creating a civilized urban lifestyle for the people.

A comprehensive solution is needed.

It must be affirmed that this is a correct policy, a "revolution" in the work of establishing urban discipline and order in the city, practically aiming towards a civilized and modern Vinh City. However, a question arises: what will Vinh City do and how will it do it to maintain traffic discipline, urban order, and environmental sanitation, because in reality, on many roads and locations with concentrated trading and business activities, after each campaign or peak period, things return to how they were before, and the re-encroachment continues to occur? Through investigation, it has been found that Vinh City, as well as its wards and communes, lack coordinated solutions and are not decisive or thorough in handling and clearing violations.

To enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing Directive 05, at the beginning of 2014, Vinh City established three inter-agency working groups comprising forces from urban management, urban inspection, police, and urban order enforcement agencies of wards and communes to carry out the work of clearing traffic safety corridors; dismantling illegal advertising signs, awnings, and canopies; and handling cases of encroachment on sidewalks and roads. This was done on 54 main roads and public areas. Regulations stipulated the responsibility of handing over clean corridors to wards and communes for management, and required wards and communes to regularly deploy forces to combat re-encroachment on corridors, sidewalks, and roads; and to strictly handle violations.

Comrade Vo Viet Thanh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Vinh City Party Committee, said: “To ensure that Directive 05 continues to be implemented and creates a strong shift in the work of restoring urban order, the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee requests that the leadership role of Party committees, government agencies, and mass organizations at all levels, from the city to the wards, communes, and affiliated agencies and units, be further enhanced. The responsibilities of agencies, organizations, and individuals in ensuring traffic safety, urban order, and environmental sanitation must be clearly defined. Along with the simultaneous campaign to clear traffic safety corridors and urban sidewalks, and hand over clean corridors to wards and communes for management, the People's Committees of wards and communes regularly deploy forces to combat re-encroachment on corridors, sidewalks, and roadbeds, and strictly handle violations... The city considers this one of the important contents to effectively implement the work of urban beautification in a civilized and modern manner, in accordance with the direction of Resolution 26 of the Politburo.”

Thanh Le