Starting next month, Saigon's street food landscape will be transformed by a new trial program aimed at clearing city streets.
In an effort to minimize the inconveniences posed by local street vendors, District 1 is planning to roll out two impromptu food courts, concentrating street food vendors in specific areas around the city center, reports Thanh Nien.
The first two makeshift food courts will be located on Nguyen Van Chiem Street near the Notre Dame Cathedral and on Vo Van Kiet Street near the Thu Thiem Tunnel. Each area will afford vendors and their patrons approximately three meters of earmarked space in which to do business from 6am to 8am and from 11am to 1pm. These areas will also be kitted out with tap water, rubbish bins and public toilets, as well as a tax exemption for those vendors who take advantage of the system.
According to District 1 People's Committee chairman Tran The Thuan, vendors will be trained in food safety and also required to list prices clearly in these designated street food areas. Thuan estimates that roughly 600 roaming vendors currently occupy streets in District 1.
If effective, city officials will expand the plan to serve other areas.
[Photo via Flickr user hadi]
