As a major urban hub and tourist destination in the central region, Da Nang is pushing hard to restore order on its sidewalks, improve environmental hygiene, and enhance the city’s appearance, all part of an effort to project a more modern and welcoming image.
Alongside this campaign, authorities face the challenge of balancing urban management with the livelihoods of thousands of residents who depend on small-scale sidewalk businesses.
Streets cleared, order restored
After weeks of enforcement, many central streets in Da Nang including Nui Thanh, Trung Nu Vuong in Hoa Cuong Ward, as well as Bach Dang, Tran Phu, Le Duan, and Nguyen Van Linh in Hai Chau Ward have become noticeably cleaner and more orderly. Sidewalk encroachment for vending or illegal parking has largely disappeared. Residents, after being reminded and educated, have voluntarily removed signs, pots, and other items.
71-year-old dweller Hoang Minh Hoa in Hai Chau Ward noted that while this is not the first sidewalk clearance campaign, the current effort has delivered visible results, saying that the sidewalks are clear, and people support it. For a modern, tourist city like Da Nang, restoring urban order is essential.
Still, he emphasized that authorities must also consider the livelihoods of those who rely on sidewalk vending. He suggested regulated hours and designated streets: strict control in tourist and central areas, but more flexibility in smaller residential lanes.
Resident Dang Thi Kim Hoang, 59, also from Hai Chau Ward, stressed that many households in central neighborhoods depend on informal trade. According to her, creating new livelihoods is not easy; so solutions should be balanced rather than outright bans. She proposed using vacant public land or underutilized spaces for temporary vending zones, combined with strict hygiene and order requirements.
Social welfare equation
Local authorities are now weighing proposals to harmonize urban management with social needs. Hai Chau Ward alone manages 137 streets, nearly 700 alleys, and about 30 hotspots of recurring violations. Roughly 6,000 households operate sidewalk businesses, with nearly 600 lacking fixed premises — many in difficult circumstances.
Nguyen Van Duy, Chairman of Hai Chau Ward People’s Committee, explained that past regulations allowed limited sidewalk business under strict zoning and time slots. But new traffic safety laws eliminated such allowances, forcing adjustments. “Among the nearly 600 households without fixed premises, some survive entirely on sidewalk vending. We are reviewing cases to provide support and prevent livelihood disruption,” he said.
So far, the ward has temporarily relocated 10 vendors to vacant lots near their old trading areas, while also organizing job fairs and vocational support. Authorities have proposed that the city explore public spaces and markets to host food courts or regulated vending zones.
Similarly, Chairman Truong Thanh Dung of Hoa Cuong Ward People’s Committee reported 198 households without fixed premises. His ward is classifying cases to craft tailored solutions, aiming to maintain urban order while helping residents stabilize their lives.
Da Nang’s sidewalk clearance campaign highlights the broader urban challenge of maintaining order and modernizing the city while still protecting the livelihoods of vulnerable residents.
