Hoàng Nguyên

HCM CITY – After months of anticipation, the first official “food street” in HCM City opened on Monday (August 28) in District 1.

At 6am, 20 food stalls were set up on the pavements along Nguyễn Văn Chiêm Street, located between Diamond Plaza and the Youth Culture House.

Forty street vendors who once occupied sidewalks in different areas in District 1, now have a dedicated, safe place to sell food.

The vendors have been divided into two groups of 20 each, with the first group working the 6-9am shift and the second the 11am-2pm shift.

The chairman of District 1’s People’s Committee, Trần Thế Thuận, presents gifts to street vendors as a good-luck wish.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Trần Thế Thuận, chairman of District 1’s People’s Committee, said 40 street vendors were chosen from low-income families in the district.    

The vendors, who received training on food safety, fire prevention and sorting of garbage, were provided uniforms and name tags, according to Thuận.

Each street vendor is allowed to sell either food or drinks to customers, mainly for takeaway.

All of the food is prepared and cooked at home and is then brought to the street to be warmed up and sold.

Võ Thị Thanh, who had previously sold bánh mì on Tôn Đức Thắng Street, said she could not sleep for days because she was so thrilled that she had been given a spot on the food street.

“I’m so happy that I have a stable place to sell food,” she said.

Nguyễn Thị Minh Khánh, who owns a bún măng vịt (noodle duck soup with dried bamboo shoots) food stall, said that most food vendors did not want to move from street to street.

Besides being a convenient spot for vendors, the food street is now a new destination for locals and tourists.

Tourist Martina Villa of Italy noticed a crowd on the street and, out of curiosity, decided to have a bite of Vietnamese food.

“I think it’s really nice and makes it easier for people to choose food they like,” she said.

Foodies have breakfast after a morning exercise session on HCM City’s new food street.

Challenges

However, as each shift only lasts three hours, street vendors fear they will not be able to sell as much as they had at their previous locations.

“Even before, when I used to sell from 6 am to 1pm, business was good on some days and not very good on other days,” she said.

Vendor Sơn Thị Ngọc Hường said she used to sell cơm tấm in front of her house on Hai Bà Trưng Street, but had to conduct business on the pavement as she lived on a very narrow alley.

Under the “pavement reclamation” campaign, Hường does not have to worry about urban watchdog officers, but she said she was concerned about her income.

A street vendor prepares nui xào bò (stir-fried macaroni with beef) for a customer. — VNS Photos Hoàng Nguyên

Đoàn Ngọc Hải, deputy chairman of the district’s People’s Committee, said: “It would be great if all of these vendors could have sold food over lunch time, as three hours is not that much.”

Thuận, the committee’s chairman, said the food street was a pilot programme and the district authority would solicit feedback from the community and street vendors and make changes at a later date.

During the trial period, street vendors will not have to pay taxes or rent. At the end of each shift, they must clean their stalls and store them in the designated area so the area remains open to pedestrians.

The second food street in District 1 is expected to open in Bách Tùng Diệp Park next month.

The city is also looking forward to opening similar spaces in other districts to help street vendors have safe, appealing places to do business. — VNS