The first street food zone was opened in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City on 28th August as part of the district’s acclaimed efforts to clean up its sidewalks.
Nguyen Van Chieu street, where the first zone located, is a large 2 way street in the central of Ho Chi Minh City with 40 meters long, allow 20 stalls takes up just a third of the sidewalk, giving pedestrians enough room to move around freely. This plan has been designated for low-income vendors who will not have to pay a fee to sell their goods in the zone.
A vendor named Phuong wearing a uniform provided by district authorities said she decided to apply for a license to operate in the new zone as soon as she heard about it even she used to sell food in an alley near her home.
“My family and I received food safety training a couple of days ago. We hope we will earn more money than before here,” she said.
Vu Ngoc Duong, who works near the zone, said she usually buys street food for breakfast but is always worried about the quality.
“Now the authorities have rolled up their sleeves to manage this area, I feel more secure about the food.”
The street food zone stretches 40 meters on the sidewalk of Nguyen Van Chiem behind the Notre Dame Cathedral, and is open from 6 AM to 9 AM and 11 AM to 2 PM.
Bach Tung Diep Park near the Reunification Palace is the next location to open the city’s second street food zone.