Da Nang's urban sidewalks currently serve three purposes: pedestrian walkways, business spaces, and vehicle parking areas. However, sidewalks on many central arteries are very narrow. For example, in Hai Chau ward, considered the city's showcase district, sidewalks on streets like Pham Hong Thai and Mac Dinh Chi are less than 2 meters wide and have significant height differences.

A representative from the Da Nang Department of Construction stated that for sidewalks less than 4 meters wide, if the remaining area cannot accommodate motorcycle parking, it must be exclusively reserved for pedestrians and cannot be flexibly used for other purposes. Nevertheless, motorcycles continue to park extensively on these narrow sidewalks.

Narrow sidewalks also bear the burden of numerous utility structures. Transformer stations and electrical boxes with hazard warnings block pathways; telecommunication cables are entangled; steps encroach onto the public space; and foul-smelling garbage collection points obstruct pedestrians.

A transformer station blocks almost the entire sidewalk on Tran Phu street, near Da Nang Cathedral ("Con Ga" church), an area popular with tourists. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Adding to this is a severe shortage of public parking lots in the urban core. Nguyen Van Duy, Chairman of the Hai Chau Ward People's Committee, noted that the ward's parking lot capacity in the urban core meets only about 21,5% of the required standard. This forces residents to park cars indiscriminately along both sides of the road, causing congestion for pedestrians on sidewalks and vehicles in the street, "like a clogged artery."

Furthermore, the licensing of high-rise buildings and the emergence of large commercial centers without adequate parking infrastructure also push pressure onto the surrounding areas. A prime example is the Aeon Mall Da Nang Thanh Khe commercial center, where spontaneous parking completely occupies sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk in the street.

Poor residents in alleys depend on sidewalks for survival

Nguyen Son Ha, 49 years old, who was born and raised in alley 15 Pham Hong Thai, shared that the sidewalk near his home has become the only lifeline for his family and nearly 30 other households living there. Previously, every morning, he and his wife woke up at 3-4 a.m. to prepare Italian noodles and mixed noodles to sell to students of Trung Vuong Secondary School. Their small eatery, just a few square meters on the sidewalk, provided a stable income to care for his 86-year-old mother and three children's education.

When business on the sidewalk was banned, Ha spent over ten days searching for a new location within a 2-3 kilometer radius. However, the exorbitant rent (from 15 to 30 million VND per month, plus a large deposit) and regulations regarding customer parking left him completely stuck. When the ward offered him a cleaning job with a salary of 7-8 million VND, he had to decline, as it would not be enough to support his family, nor would it allow him time to care for his elderly mother and young children.

He was forced to cut back on his children's classes and return to "clinging" to the sidewalk, living in fear. Now, selling under a makeshift umbrella each day, Ha constantly worries about violating the law and about heavy fines that could wipe out a month's worth of his late-night and early-morning efforts to make a living.

"The city's policy is correct, but I still hope the city can provide a small, orderly space for the poor to earn a daily living," Ha stated.

To make a living on the sidewalk, many vendors have to shrink their stalls to make way for pedestrians. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Ha is just one of thousands of households in Da Nang's urban area who depend on sidewalks for their livelihoods. Nguyen Van Duy, Chairman of the Hai Chau Ward People's Committee, explained that a characteristic of the urban core is that poor residents living in alleys and small lanes must rely on sidewalks with eateries and beverage stalls to earn an income. For these poor individuals, every square meter of sidewalk is a source of livelihood. If they are completely banned and forced into deep alleys, they cannot sell their goods.

Duy, like many ward leaders, faces an unresolved problem: applying purely administrative "push-and-chase" measures only addresses the surface issue, but "cuts off the livelihoods" of residents. Occupational retraining faces significant barriers because most sidewalk laborers are older. When the pressure to earn a living becomes too urgent, people are willing to risk confiscation of goods and fines to continue their trade.

Emotional consideration

The plan to restore sidewalk order is also hindered by urban living habits that have existed for decades. The custom of buying on the go, pulling over onto sidewalks for quick food purchases, or lingering with plastic tables and chairs spilling into public spaces from evening until late at night has become deeply rooted in people's lives.

Phung Phu Phong, Secretary of the An Hai Ward Party Committee, noted that residents often set up plastic tables and chairs to conduct on-site business from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m., serving customers on the sidewalk as if in a restaurant. Shifting this habit to takeaway or walking for purchases requires significant time. When banned from sidewalks, violations immediately shifted to the street: vendors push mobile carts continuously, and buyers stop their vehicles directly in the street to transact.

The habit of stopping vehicles in the street to buy goods, coupled with many street vendors encroaching on the roadway, causes congestion. Photo taken in front of Con market on the afternoon of 22/7. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Additionally, the element of "emotional consideration" in public service conduct makes administrative enforcement ineffective. "Vietnamese people highly value emotional considerations in handling public affairs. When faced with extremely difficult circumstances, authorities cannot act harshly but must listen and understand the specific situations," Phong explained.

Furthermore, the sparse urban management force, which is also dispersed to handle numerous arising complaints, leads to incomplete and infrequent enforcement. For instance, Hoa Khanh ward, which spans over 40 square kilometers with nearly 400 streets, has an urban regulation force of only eight people. On average, the ward can only manage to launch operations to restore sidewalk order on about 20 streets each month.

"Launching patrols and issuing fines only addresses the surface issue, is extremely costly in terms of personnel, and is not fundamental because the need for vendors to earn a living and consumers to buy is essential. Failing to clear one area while neglecting another promptly also leads to complaints," the Hai Chau Ward Chairman stated.

Nguyen Dong