On the morning of October 25, District 1 People's Committee held a conference to summarize the pilot and expand sidewalk rental for business services on 52 qualified streets in the district.
In May 2024, District 1 piloted sidewalk rental on 11 streets: Hoang Sa (Tan Dinh ward), Mac Dinh Chi (Da Kao ward), Hai Trieu and Chu Manh Trinh (Ben Nghe ward), Le Thanh Ton, Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh (Ben Thanh ward), Ham Nghi (Nguyen Thai Binh ward), Tran Hung Dao (Pham Ngu Lao, Nguyen Cu Trinh, Cau Ong Lanh, Cau Kho wards), Co Bac (Cau Ong Lanh ward) and Vo Van Kiet (Co Giang ward).
These routes have all been assessed as having adequate infrastructure and will not affect traffic.
People are allowed to register to use sidewalks through the software "Look up and register for temporary use of sidewalks in District 1". This application allows people to quickly look up information about the location and function of sidewalks through an integrated digital map, making management more convenient and effective.
After more than 5 months of piloting, District 1 has recorded 374 cases of registration to use sidewalks for business, of which Ben Thanh ward has the highest number of registrations with 179 cases. The total fee collected from temporary use of sidewalks reached more than 810 million VND.
District 1 People's Committee assessed that the sidewalk fee pilot has contributed to improving urban order, creating a neater landscape and ensuring safe and clear walkways for pedestrians without affecting general traffic.
Following the success of the pilot phase, the People's Committee of District 1 will expand the collection of sidewalk usage fees for business on 52 streets in the near future. The software "Look up and register for temporary use of sidewalks in District 1" has been upgraded and added 4 more function buttons for the convenience of people such as: Button to extend sidewalk usage registration, button to evaluate satisfaction, button for management staff, etc.
Vice Chairman of District 1 People's Committee Vu Nguyen Quang Vinh emphasized that the management and use of sidewalks must be strictly controlled, ensuring that at least 1.5m of sidewalk space (excluding curbs) is maintained for pedestrians. Wards will strengthen supervision and strictly handle violations to ensure order, security and traffic safety.
Deputy Secretary of District 1 Party Committee Hoang Thi To Nga requested that specialized departments continue to support and guide people in looking up and registering to use sidewalks via software to ensure that sidewalk management in the district is strictly implemented.
In addition to District 1, Districts 3, 10, 12 and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport have also implemented sidewalk usage fees for various purposes.
The Department of Transport mainly collects fees from cultural activities and installation of public facilities such as public bicycle stations, bringing in about 1.5 billion VND in revenue.
Meanwhile, districts focused on collecting fees from service business activities, goods trading, material transfer and organizing cultural events on the sidewalk, earning about 3.2 billion VND.
The sidewalk usage fee is regulated by Ho Chi Minh City based on the average land price in 5 areas, in which the inner city area has a higher fee than the suburbs.
Fees range from VND50,000 to VND350,000/m² per month for parking, and from VND20,000 to VND100,000/m² for other activities.