HCMC clears up clutter
August 9, 2012 by Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit
Filed under News, Vietnam
HO CHI MINH CITY, 9 August 2012: City authorities have called on all the district sub-divisions to clear pavements of street vendors and end what the local media called “useless clutter” to improve tourism.
According to people’s committee, the project will beautify the cityscape and create a safer and friendlier tourism environment.
Committees are working with the Department of Transport to clear pavements of street vendors, who have encroached on public spaces and are accused of cluttering up the environment and spoiling the beauty of the cityscape.
In addition, the Department of Finance has suggested to the City People’s Committee to reward residents who contribute towards maintaining social order on city streets to make the city more tourist friendly.
Meanwhile, police have been ordered to provide more patrols to end harassment of international tourists. The city has a reputation for petty theft and bag snatching mainly in downtown tourist districts.
Street pavement vendors especially in Bangkok, I ‘ve heard some say :
1. It’s charming and tourists like it but I don’t believe it because I’ve seldom seen such a thing in most of the countries that tourists come from.
2. It supports local mini business enterprises.
3. It creates income for several groups of people both in private and public sectors.
4. Bangkok is the most favorable place for tourists maybe because of street pavement vendors. Tourists have not seen this in their countries.
Could we conclude that street pavement vendors is an important Thai tourism attractions ? Anyone wonder !?
When will Thailand learn? Oh, I know. In 2015.
The picture shows a perfectly OK street, no problem for pedestrians at all. A far better picture would have been the typical horror of sidewalks blocked by packs of motorcyles parked transversally. If they want to do one thing to clear up their “cityscape”, it should be to ban motorcycle parking on sidewalks.