In the midst of District 1 official Doan Ngoc Hai’s sidewalk-clearing campaign, speculation has arisen over the fate of downtown Saigon’s backpacker area.
According to Zing, the roads surrounding District 1’s Bui Vien Street are expected to be closed to vehicle traffic at night, transforming the area into a pedestrian street after 6pm or 7pm.
At this point, the news outlet reports, the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Department has joined forces with the District 1 People’s Committee to draw up a proposal for the pedestrian street’s implementation. In the proposal, Zing reports, Bui Vien would be closed to traffic until 2am and city officials would carefully select the businesses and services made available on the tourist street. Vendors would be permitted to sell on the sidewalk but not on the road, as this area would be reserved for pedestrians.
Beyond the logistics of the plan, city officials also hope to replace Bui Vien’s pavement with granite sidewalks, arrange vehicle parking, install security cameras along the street and move all electrical wiring underground. Vice Chairman Cao Hong Viet of Pham Ngu Lao Ward told Zing the plan is currently to hold trial runs of the pedestrian street model over the weekend, with the hope of having the project fully operational by mid-2017.
As far as public opinion goes, the response so far has been mixed. Bui Vien vendor Le Thu Thao told VTC she opposed the sidewalk clearance, saying: “If the sidewalks are cleared then it’s not the backpacker district anymore.”
District 1 resident Hoang Thuy Trang, however, pointed out the current danger posed by Bui Vien’s heavily occupied sidewalks, telling the news outlet that pedestrians often walk in the middle of the road, posing a problem for local drivers.
According to VTC, Bui Vien residents received a notice from the ward on March 1, stressing the need for sidewalk clearance in the area. Though Pham Anh Tuan, deputy head of police in Pham Ngu Lao Ward, told the news outlet he doesn’t aim to fully clear the sidewalks, Tuan stressed the need to resolve Bui Vien’s traffic and pedestrian problems.
It remains to be seen what will happen to Saigon’s backpacker neighborhood, but the area may be on its way to becoming part of the “Little Singapore” plan in store for District 1.
[Photo via ABC]
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