A café on Ngo Quyen Street, where tables and chairs are arranged on the premises to avoid penalties.
Hanoi has around 1,100 streets with sidewalks, but many used to be illegally occupied for business activities and parking. The city has in the past launched many campaigns to clear the sidewalks, but they were often short-lived and violations resumed before long.
The capital began implementing Plan 332 last December to "reclaim" sidewalks for pedestrians. The campaign is divided into three phases: public awareness, inspections and enforcement, and long-term prevention of encroachment.
Crowded lemon tea shops on Nha Chung Street, whose tables once spilled even on the road, are now wary and operate indoors.
An employee at one store says: "Customer numbers have dropped by 70% due to limited indoor space, and so we have shifted to online sales."
Food stalls that used to mainly operate on sidewalks have been forced to move indoors, using the steps outside to place a few tables and chairs.
Nguyen Thanh Ha, owner of the café in the photo above, says she has arranged seating to comply with urban order regulations but expresses some reservations.
“Many customers come here because they enjoy the sidewalk café culture and the lively atmosphere typical of the Old Quarter. If they have to sit indoors, they are often no longer as interested as before.”
At Thanh Ha Market in Hoan Kiem Ward, trading activities have become more orderly. Scenes of vendors using every stretch of sidewalk for business are no longer routine.
Many street vendors on O Quan Chuong, Nguyen Thien Thuat, and Hang Chieu streets have moved their businesses away from the road.
At Ta Hien Street, popular among foreign tourists for street-side pubs and street food snacks, authorities say sidewalk and road encroachment has largely been eliminated.
The practice of placing tables and chairs on the road and advertising signs in the middle of sidewalks has declined.
