Obscene piles of trash continue to blight Hanoi's streets months after dumping ban

Motorbikes drive around garbage in downtown Hanoi, a common scene every morning when trash collectors are still doing their rounds.

Garbage on Truong Dinh Street in Hoang Mai District one morning this week, more than five months after cash fines of between VND5-7 million ($220-308) were introduced for anyone leaving trash on the street.

One of many garbage piles on Tan Mai Street in Hoang Mai.

A woman walks past another pile on her way back from the morning market.

A small sign on an alley off Au Co Street, Tay Ho District, says “No dumping garbage”. It does not help. “There are no trash bins here and the stink is terrible on hot days,” said a local resident.

Not a good sign for a morning walk on Nghi Tam Street, Tay Ho. Locals said trash collectors do their rounds at 3 p.m. every day, but most people are at work so they leave their trash on the street at night.

A trash collector at work under another no dumping sign.

This huge pile seems to be normal for this sanitation worker.

“There’s a lot of garbage. We have no breaks throughout the day,” a collector said.