Recently, the aggressive act of a young man attacking a security guard on the head after a confrontation over an unmuzzled dog on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City has caused public outrage, yet bringing dogs into the pedestrian street still persists despite a ban. 

In addition, many other actions continue to spoil the pedestrian street, such as illegal parking and teasing living statues.

On Thursday, Tuong Chi Huy, 26, and his girlfriend—a U.S. national, were walking on the popular promenade.

Her unleashed and unmuzzled dog jumped to the ground and ran loose, prompting the security guard to approach the couple and remind them of the park’s rules.

As the guard tapped the dog’s head with a plastic baton, a confrontation arose and Huy wrestled the rod away from the guard and struck the guard on the head, causing him to bleed and lose consciousness.

It is noteworthy that Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street has boards showing that pets are prohibited from being brought in. 

On Wednesday evening, two young people brought a fluffy dog into the pedestrian street. The dog was not muzzled, and its sniffing and growling scared nearby people. 

Security guards face great difficulty in maintaining order on the pedestrian street. 

Along both sides of the street, many people still park motorbikes, sit to relax, wait for friends, or leave their bikes there and walk into the street.

As a result, security guards have to constantly patrol the area, blowing their whistles and reminding people not to park their vehicles.

Although there are motorbike parking areas nearby, it's unclear why many people still park in restricted zones near the walking street. 

If people do not park their bikes there, security guards will not have to repeatedly blow whistles and make reminders, which makes them tired and disrupts the peaceful atmosphere of the street.

Many people observe living statues on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in Ho Chi Minh City, but some touch or tease the ‘statues’. Photo: May Trang

Furthermore, human statues, performers who pose as statues, usually with realistic statue-like makeup, on the pedestrian street are also victims of some people.

Others simply stand a few meters away to look, take photos, or donate some money to the ‘statues’ after taking photos.

However, some people poked at the performers’ hips, laughed, or pointed at them. The performers still try to stand still and endure. 

Some touched the performers' costumes or leaned on them for photos. Others made comments out of curiosity, asking, "What’s painted on your body?" or "Why are you standing like that?"

People also cross the street in places not designated for pedestrians.

Of course, many tourists and residents who visit the pedestrian street behave politely and courteously, and the aforementioned unpleasant behaviors are just a minority. 

It is hoped that in such a civilized and modern space, there will no longer be chaos and lack of awareness, so that the sound of whistles and reminders won't be made so often.

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