Saigon plans to name and shame people pissing in public

Public littering, urination, and even defecation are a common nuisance in Ho Chi Minh City, angering and disgusting both locals and tourists.

While these offenses are subject to fines of up to VND400,000 ($17.30), not much headway has been made in curbing such behavior.

Now, the city’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment is proposing that people caught urinating or littering in public places by CCTV cameras are identified and fined.

It hopes that this move, combined with support from the public, will prove effective in reducing the nuisance.

The department has suggested that the local urban order management group and construction inspection team are assigned the task.

The fines collected would go towards support and maintenance fees for this team.

Since catching people in the act of littering or urinating is not easy, the department wants agencies to use evidence from surveillance cameras to identify and fine violators.

At present, only the specialized environmental protection inspectorate and environmental police have access to the recording equipment, making the discovery of violations even more difficult.

The department has said that city should also carry out random checks on public solid waste disposal, of dredged mud, soil, bricks, concrete, for example, to spot violations and issue fines.

Whether the department’s latest proposal will succeed in curbing uncouth behavior remains to be seen.