Street food vendors in downtown Ho Chi Minh City will be forced to sell their products in designated areas on certain streets, making up part of city officials' effort to deter illegal occupation of sidewalks and roadways as well as ensuring food safety.

The People’s Committee in District 1 is expected to carry out the pilot project within this month.

According to the plan, street vendors will be only allowed to sell their foods in two areas along Nguyen Van Chiem Street and at the park along the Bach Dang Harbor, and only during specific time periods, from 6:00 am to 8:00 am and 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The two sections are expected to provide 50 to 60 slots for the vendors to operate in, which are designed in a way that does not fully occupy the sidewalks.

The area along Nguyen Van Chiem Street will be three meters wide, leaving a space of about 2.5 to three meters wide for pedestrians to walk, an official in District 1 said.

The peddlers will be instructed how to set up their shops, ensure food safety, and classify garbage in order to protect the environment.

They will be required to ensure the quality of their products, use ingredients with certificates of origin, not to overcharge buyers, and ensure social order as well as public hygiene while running their businesses.

Aside from the two pilot areas, other streets in the district that have sufficient space will be proposed to the People’s Committee as appropriate places for street vending.

Varied reactions from citizens

Nguyen Van Hung, a resident in District 1, expressed his support for the project, explaining that locals will have more options for their breakfast.

Sharing a similar opinion, Thuy, an office worker on Nguyen Van Chiem Street, said that she would no longer have to worry about having expensive lunches at nearby cafés once the plan is implemented.

“It will be extremely convenient for my friends and I if breakfast and lunch are sold on the street. I hope the food offered will be of great varieties and reasonably priced,” Thuy continued.

Danh Thi Ut, a local street food vendor, considered the designated selling time, between 6:00 am and 8:00 am, would pose several difficulties to her and other vendors.

Only a few office workers have their breakfast at such early hours, Ut said.

Establishing the street food zone in the park along the Bach Dang Harbor during these times would be inappropriate, a local motorbike taxi rider said.

The venue can only be accessed by crossing Ton Duc Thang Street, which often has a high volume of traffic, he further explained, adding that people mainly come to the park in the evening.

The rider recommended that the section be moved to other areas that are easier for pedestrians to approach.

Street food has been enjoyed not only by office workers, but also by international tourists in the southern city’s center, according to Van Thi Bach Tuyet, director of the municipal Department of Tourism.

The project will certainly help improve the aesthetics of the downtown area, and contribute to the management of street vending and the solicitation of tourists, Tuyet said.

However, thorough research should be conducted with regard to the selection of the selling areas in order to maximize the effect of the plan, she added.