In early 2017, authorities installed steel barriers on the sidewalk beside Cho Ray Hospital in District 5 to allow pedestrians to walk free of parked vehicles and impromptu street shops. But now even the space inside the walkways has become occupied by street vendors and parking lots.
A 4-meter-wide sidewalk in front of Cho Ray Hospital used to be fully occupied as a parking lot, pushing pedestrians into the street.
It was not until the middle of last year that the city’s Transport Department asked district authorities to create space for pedestrians.
A signboard issued by the administration of Ward 12 in District 1 notifies people of the ban on all encroachment into the one-meter-wide pedestrian walkway.
"In the past, the parking lot took up the entire sidewalk and we had to walk on the street with the constant fear of being hit by vehicles from behind," said a person visiting a patient hospitalized at Cho Ray. "Now even with just a small space for walking, it feels much safer."
On Ly Thuong Kiet Street, the sidewalk in front of Hung Vuong Hospital has been turned into a parking lot.
Spontaneous parking lots around HCMC hospitals have popped up over the years because the facilities have run out of space in their own parking lots.
A sidewalk barrier on Vo Van Kiet Street in front of the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases is one of the city's few barricaded sidewalks that has remained protected from encroachment.
A woman walks along a sidewalk in District 1.
Since 2017, sidewalks along major streets in the district such as Le Duan, Ly Tu Trong, Pasteur, Le Thanh Ton have been equipped with barriers to prevent motorists from driving off-road.
However, the gate to the hospital is still crowded with street vendors.
Nguyen Xuan Trung, deputy chairman of District 5, said it is difficult to ensure sidewalk order all the time due to a lack of staff.
However, in some cases, the space between the barriers is still wide enough for a motorbike to get through, as seen in this photo taken on a Le Duan Street sidewalk.
Sidewalk encroachment has been an issue in Ho Chi Minh City for many years.
Many sidewalk areas are occupied by pubs, vendors, and local businesses, leaving no area for pedestrians to walk.
District authorities have repeatedly launched campaigns to restore order on the sidewalks, but the problem has never been properly dealt with.
