In response, city police and relevant agencies have launched sweeping efforts to eliminate these issues and reclaim the city's visual appeal.
Wiping out loan sharks and urban eyesores
The HCMC Police, on April 7, announced that, on April 5 and 6, they coordinated with the Steering Committee for Crime and Social Evils Prevention and Control and Building Movement to Protect National Security (Steering Committee 138) to organize 308 clean-up operations across 273 wards and communes. More than 1,800 households voluntarily took down flyers and posters illegally affixed to their homes.
Through these campaigns, the city removed over 18,900 illegal advertisements and identified 39 suspicious phone numbers potentially linked to loan shark operations and underground ad networks.
The police warned that seemingly innocuous flyers for “cheap septic tank pumping” or “lightning-fast Wi-Fi installation,” often found taped to utility poles and walls, are frequently fronts for fraud and price-gouging schemes—tentacles of criminal networks operating in plain sight. Authorities have responded with urgency, deploying technology, launching public awareness campaigns, and mobilizing the collective force of the political system and civil society.
The clean-up drive has received strong backing from a wide array of participants—from the city’s Youth Union and Advertising Association to Nippon Paint Vietnam, universities, businesses, and artists—all rallying behind a common cause: to restore the cleanliness and dignity of HCMC’s streets.
Breathing new life into the city's weathered walls
From 2019 to 2022, HCMC Police launched and expanded 23 community outreach teams, carrying out nearly 500 campaigns that resulted in the removal of more than 155,000 illegal advertising flyers defacing public spaces.
In 2023, the campaign gained significant momentum. Collaborating with various partners, police led nearly 8,200 clean-up efforts involving close to 160,000 participants, tearing down over 2.1 million flyers. Advanced technology was deployed to trace and block more than 3,000 phone numbers linked to illegal lending. Authorities also cracked down on over 300 loan sharking cases, involving more than 500 suspects.
In 2024, momentum continued as businesses and organizations joined forces for seven citywide campaigns. With over 45,000 people participating, nearly 1 million unlawful advertisements were removed. Yet the effort didn’t stop at cleaning—it evolved into something far more transformative.
Working with the city’s Youth Union, HCMC Police began “reskinning” the city's stained and neglected walls with vibrant murals, turning once-blemished spaces into public art that enhances the urban environment. These murals not only restore visual harmony but also inject cultural vitality into the cityscape.
The campaign has since become a flagship youth initiative, contributing meaningfully to social prevention efforts and the broader fight against crime—particularly the shadowy networks of predatory lending. Its success has resonated beyond city borders, with strong public support and high commendation from municipal leaders and the Ministry of Public Security, inspiring a nationwide spirit of civic pride and vigilance.
HCMC Police, in collaboration with the HCMC Youth Union and partner organizations, are set to inaugurate the 19th mural in the Beautiful Vietnam series.
The artwork showcases the distinctive beauty of Vietnam’s three regions, adding a vibrant touch to the cityscape and enriching the urban environment.
