Saigon to install cameras to enhance security in central parks

Ho Chi Minh City is planning to install new security cameras in two major parks in District 1 to combat drug use and public indecency.

Officials from the central district said they will set up the surveillance cameras in the September 23 Park outside Ben Thanh Market and the April 30 Park in front of the Independence Palace.

Local media have been reporting ongoing drug use in the Ben Thanh park for a number of years. Cooking, showering and airing clothes are also prohibited in the parks, some of which have become shelters for homeless people.

Officials said they are also going to upgrade the toilets and lighting systems in the parks, and set up more exercise facilities.

The two central parks are among a limited number of green public spaces in the city of 13 million people.

Figures from the Administration of Technical Infrastructure under the Ministry of Construction a year ago showed that Vietnam’s biggest cities had only two to three square meters of green area per person.

That is a third or less than what the World Health Organization has recommended for a healthy urban life.