In this photo taken on Thursday, the sidewalk on Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1 near Ben Thanh Market was divided into three sections, distinguished by painted lines.
The outermost section, about one meter wide, is for motorbike parking. In the middle, there is a nearly 2-meter-wide lane for pedestrians, and the innermost section, of equivalent width, is rented out to food stalls for business.
Compared to before, the pedestrian lane is clearly marked by yellow and white lines, becoming more spacious. According to regulations, sidewalks designated for rent must be at least 3 meters wide, with 1.5 meters reserved for pedestrians.
Two months ago, this area was one of 11 roads in District 1 where the authorities experimented with sidewalk fees for parking lots and businesses, with fees ranging from VND20,000 (80 cents) to 350,000 per square meter.
Some 290 business households in the district have registered to use parts of the sidewalk on 11 streets, generating about VND1 billion for the city.
Nguyen Van Tai, 59, parks a motorbike neatly within the marked lines in front of a shop on Phan Boi Chau Street, opposite the East Gate of Ben Thanh Market.
He said that previously, the sidewalk was over five meters wide, but pedestrians had to weave through gaps due to motorbikes, tables, stalls, and signs occupying all available space.
"For the past two months, the streets have been clearly divided, and business owners have been somewhat conscious about leaving space for pedestrians," he said.
At the parking lot on Phan Chu Trinh Street at the West Gate of Ben Thanh Market, order has also been organized along the sidewalk.
Motorbikes are neatly arranged within marked lines, leaving room for pedestrians. Previously, this sidewalk area was only used for parking, and pedestrians had to maneuver through gaps or walk on the road.
About a kilometer away, the sidewalk on Hai Trieu Street, in front of the Bitexco Building, is organized with designated areas for motorbike parking, pedestrian lanes, and places for tables and chairs based on registered areas, contrasting with the chaotic scene of street vendors and motorbikes dominating in April.
Dang Van Ninh, 44, manager of a pho restaurant on Hai Trieu Street opposite HCMC's second highest building Bitexco, rearranges tables and chairs neatly within the painted lines on the rented sidewalk area.
He said the restaurant rented over 10 square meters of sidewalk space at a cost of about VND5 million dong for three months.
Previously, the establishment only placed tables and chairs indoors, and when there were many customers, they had to serve outdoor, causing inconvenience when quickly having to clear them away for inspections.
Ninh recalled that sometimes foreign customers sitting and eating had to be asked to stand up to clear the tables.
“Sometimes, people took photos or filmed the scene when we fought against the law enforcement officers to keep them for seizing our tables and chairs, which was embarrassing,” he said.
Ninh added that since sidewalk fees were introduced in May, three more sets of tables and chairs with 18 seats have been added outdoors, and diners are very comfortable while still adhering to the pedestrian distance.
In addition to business households, some street vendors also pay fees to use sidewalk areas as required.
Fruit vendor Le Thi Luyen, 63, rents about 8 square meters of sidewalk on Phan Chu Trinh Street for about VND1 million per month to sell fruits.
Selling in designated areas has been more orderly in the past two months, and she no longer has to worry about being chased away or having items confiscated by law enforcement.
The sidewalk of Chu Manh Trinh Street is no longer crowded with people sitting and drinking coffee after the sidewalk fee was implemented.
In addition to many sidewalks being orderly arranged, some areas are still encroached upon with motorcycles parked haphazardly.
On Tran Hung Dao Street in Cau Ong Lanh Ward of District 1, despite having marked lines, many businesses continue to let motorcycles encroach as before.
Similarly, on Vo Van Kiet Street in Co Giang Ward, District 1, some cafes still place tables and chairs for customers, occupying the pedestrian area in the evening despite being marked and designated.
The city’s official statistics show that there are more than 4,800 roads wider than five meters, of which nearly 2,600 lack sidewalks. Over the years, the widespread practice of commercial activities encroaching on sidewalks and road surfaces has significantly impacted traffic flow and urban appearance.
Local authorities have made repeated efforts to enforce regulations and restore order, but these efforts have often been compared to a cycle of temporary compliance followed by regression to previous disorder.
