At 7:30 AM, after dropping her child at school, Hoa, 43 years old, quickly rode her motorbike to the spontaneous market on the Co Nhue railway line in Dong Ngac ward. Along the approximately 300-meter stretch, dozens of stalls were spread out, with fish and shrimp twitching in basins and fresh green vegetables stacked high right by the wheels.

Hoa stopped in front of her usual vegetable stalls, pointing and saying, "A bunch of crown daisy for me". While the elderly vendor arranged the vegetables, Hoa's eyes already scanned the adjacent fruit stall, quickly choosing a bunch of bananas and weighing some oranges. Turning her motorbike, she continued along the curb. Fresh shrimp, cartilage ribs, and hot tofu were purchased in just a few quick stops.

"Going to a main market or a supermarket is an ordeal for me," Hoa said. "Buying many cumbersome things, carrying them around, and walking long distances makes me reluctant. Here, I can shop quickly and efficiently, which fits my tight morning schedule."

People buying fruit at an informal market next to Mo market, Truong Dinh ward, on the morning of 12/1. Photo: Phan Duong

For Hoa, the informal market is appealing due to its convenience, but for others, it is a place they visit for the personal connection.

In Nghia Do ward, every day at 7:00 AM, Tran Thi Thao, 72 years old, pushes her cart to a small alley 100 meters from her home. As soon as the fruit vendor saw her, she greeted her warmly and quickly peeled a guava slice, inviting her to taste it.

At this informal market, vendors sell goods along with stories. The meat vendor knew Mrs. Thao's daughter-in-law was on a business trip that day, so she cut exactly one hundred grams of tenderloin for her grandchild. The dried goods vendor remembered Mrs. Thao had diabetes, so she always set aside a type of plain arrowroot vermicelli that was not bleached. Mrs. Thao and the vendors were as close as family, knowing each other's circumstances, remembering daily habits, and even aware of any unusual events.

"Sometimes, if I forgot my wallet, I could just take the goods home and pay later. If I'm not feeling well, I just need to make a call, and ten minutes later, vegetables and meat are hanging at my door," Mrs. Thao recounted. For an elderly person with weary legs like her, this informal market provides just enough physical activity and is a place to find community connection, which modern, impersonal supermarkets with their labels often lack.

However, the very things that give Mrs. Thao and Hoa a deep attachment to informal markets pose a difficult urban problem.

The Hanoi People's Committee recently issued a plan to dismantle all 231 informal markets and spontaneous business points to restore urban order, aiming for completion by 2027. This is not the first time the city has declared war on informal markets, yet these market points continue to show persistent vitality.

Explaining this, Doctor Tran Thi Kieu Thanh Ha, Project Manager for HealthBridge Canada's Liveable Cities Program in Vietnam, stated that informal markets do not appear spontaneously. "They are a response from real life to the gaps that urban planning has yet to fill," Mrs. Ha noted.

Research by HealthBridge, in collaboration with the University of Montreal (Canada) in Hanoi's central districts, identified four reasons why residents find it difficult to abandon informal markets: distance, habits, food freshness, and personal connection. Informal markets supply food to nearly half the population within a 300-meter radius in the surveyed areas. "If informal markets close without alternative measures, the average travel distance will increase by over 50 percent," Mrs. Ha said.

Furthermore, modern retail models, though clean and attractive, lack the connection and trust that are characteristic of informal markets. Buyers trust the promise of "homegrown vegetables" from familiar vendors more than cold, impersonal labels. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, this flexible network served as a "food security buffer," helping residents access food when supermarket systems were overloaded.

Map showing the distribution of 25 official markets (purple) and about 100 informal markets (blue) in four inner districts of Hanoi. Photo: HealthBridge

The mismatch between planning and residents' habits is clearest in the failure of traditional markets that were upgraded into commercial centers. Mo, Cua Nam, and Hang Da markets, after being rebuilt, were suddenly abandoned by both buyers and sellers. Residents, accustomed to open spaces where motorbikes could be parked right at the entrance, now found it inconvenient to park their vehicles and descend into deep basements just to buy a bunch of vegetables. A survey by VnExpress at noon on 12/1 in the basement of Mo market showed that out of approximately 20 meat stalls, only two were active. Dozens of fruit stalls were closed and locked.

"This disconnect between modern architecture and residents' habits is the biggest gap that allows informal markets to flourish, serving the demand for 'quick buying and selling' that concrete and steel buildings inadvertently eliminated," stated the Vice Chairman of the World Farmers Markets Coalition.

However, the price for this convenience is not small.

Studies indicate that the encroachment on roadways by informal markets and spontaneous markets is the culprit for over 30 percent of localized traffic jams in core districts like Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung. This is accompanied by dozens of tons of organic waste and thousands of cubic meters of slaughterhouse wastewater discharged directly into sewers daily, polluting the living environment with foul odors.

More serious is the issue of food safety. While supermarket goods must meet VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, food from informal markets is often associated with "three no's": no clear origin, no inspection, and no proper preservation. Monitoring reports show that the rate of chemical residues and pesticides here is often three to four times higher than in official retail systems. In cases of food poisoning, tracing the origin is almost hopeless.

An informal market on Cau Moi street (near Nga Tu So market) is on the list for removal before 30/1. Photo: Pham Nga

Two decades ago, To Thanh Than, 48 years old, bought a house on Nguyen An Ninh street in Tuong Mai ward with the dream of settling down. But then, informal markets gradually encroached, surrounding his home. Every day from 4:00 AM, the sounds of chopping and bargaining echoed loudly, accompanied by a strong fishy smell that wafted directly into his living room. Out of desperation, five years ago his family had to rent out the house and move elsewhere.

"The city's decision to dismantle informal markets is correct. But for sustainable removal, a more reasonable plan for traditional market development is needed, rather than merely chasing them away and fining them," Than said.

Duong Nga