Several streets around the centre of HCM City are seeing road encroachment problems. - Photo nld.com.vn

HCM City - The problem of sidewalk encroachment in HCM City is reoccurring after the merger with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu provinces due to a lack of specific regulations.

The sidewalks surrounding Bến Thành Market in HCM City’s Bến Thành Ward are once again plagued by persistent encroachment.

On Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Bội Châu streets, motorbikes often crowd the entire sidewalk, while street vendors selling fruit and clothes occupy areas marked for pedestrians.

Ngọc Bích, a vendor at Bến Thành Market, told Người lao động (Labourers) newspaper that ward police have taken over the inspection duties from the now-dissolved urban order management team. Regular patrols have eased the situation, but they have not fully eliminated the problem.

Several streets in Cầu Ông Lãnh and Bến Thành wards, such as Cô Bắc, Cô Giang and Nguyễn Thái Bình, are also clogged by parked motorbikes. Many vendors set up tables and chairs which encroached on the roadway, leading to heavy peak-hour traffic jams.

In contrast, Hải Triều and Nguyễn Trãi streets in Bến Thành Ward remain orderly, with businesses and local authorities keeping motorbikes neatly arranged.

According to the newspaper, the dissolution of Bến Thành Ward’s urban order management team has left city authorities struggling to control violations. The ward's Economy, Infrastructure and Urban Affairs Department is reportedly short-staffed and lacks the authority needed to enforce regulations.

The Bến Thành Ward People’s Committee has urged the city to allocate more staff to reinstate the urban order management team and issue clear regulations on urban and construction management.

Cầu Ông Lãnh Ward Chairwoman Trương Thị Minh Dung told the newspaper that she has asked city authorities to reinstate an urban order management team for dissemination and enforcement, and to reintroduce pavement fees for more effective management. - VNS