Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 opens Facebook page for street vendors
Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 opens Facebook page for street vendors
The Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 administration has turned a suggestion to having local street vendors meet their customers on the internet, rather than the sidewalks, into a reality.
While an ongoing campaign led by the district’s deputy chairman Doan Ngoc Hai is focused on reclaiming walking space for pedestrians, the vendors who once operated on the affected sidewalk areas have found themselves with no place to operate.
At a meeting on March 20, Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City administration, tasked District 1 authorities with indentifying a reasonable plan that would allow vendors to continue to earn a living without blocking the pavement.
The official suggested that there should be zoned areas for street peddlers, adding that seeking out ways for street vendors to harness the power of the internet should also be considered, according to Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper.
Just days after Tuyen put the idea forward, a Facebook page named “Am thuc Quan 1,” or District 1 Cuisine, was created, attracting curiosity from local users of the world’s largest social network.
Despite such curiosity, by Friday morning the page (https://www.facebook.com/phohangrongsg) had only attracted 170 likes and very few posts and photos.
Lam Ngo Hoang Anh, chief of the secretariat of District 1 administration, confirmed to VnExpress on Thursday that the page was created by his office.
The page is meant to promote products from street food sellers and eateries in District 1 who have been affected by the ‘sidewalk clearing’ campaign, Anh told the Hanoi-based newswire.
The official added that it is still ‘under construction’ and is scheduled for an official launch early next month.
“We have tasked members of the district’s Youth Union with promoting the page and helping vendors to open their own Facebook pages to advertise their food,” Anh elaborated.
According to VnExpress, District 1 authorities believe that the Facebook solution will stop people from occupying the sidewalks and generate delivery jobs for the ‘online street vendors’.
However, the street vendors themselves are skeptical about the idea.
Pham Thi Mai, a 75-year-old sweet soup seller near Saigon Square, told VnExpress she does not feel optimistic about relocating from the sidewalk to Facebook.
“I used to sit down under a tree to serve people from nearby offices who want to support an older seller like me,” she said.
“Who will buy my soup if I go online?”
Cuc, who sells grilled bananas near Ben Thanh Market, is worried that no one will help her with delivery if she transfers her operation online.
