Hanoi sidewalk cleanup campaign comes undone

Barriers 50 cm high are set up along the sidewalk of Cau Giay Street in Cau Giay District to prevent drivers from running over them.

A woman walks along the sidewalk of Hang Dao Street in Hoan Kiem District.

However, along many streets, the campaign has yet to show any results.

In this photo, a group of foreign visitors are pushed to the street as the sidewalk has been filled up with goods placed by a store on Hang Chieu Street.

A restaurant on Hang Non Street placed tables and stools on the sidewalks to grab more diners.

Restaurants on Hang Chieu Street use the sidewalk and parts of the street as parking areas for their customers.

A scene on Hang Buom Street.

A man walks between two cars parked on the sidewalk of Duy Tan Street.

Hanoi’s authorities admitted that the city’s infrastructure has failed to meet the high demand for parking while local forces have yet to handle violations strictly enough.

Cars are parked all over the sidewalks near HH Linh Dam apartment building in Hoang Mai District on August 3.

In February 2017, Hanoi launched the same campaign to take back the sidewalks for pedestrians.

Lasting for half a year, the campaign did bring about many positive results, but after that, vendors, drivers, and business households returned to encroach on the sidewalks.