World Food Policy Volume/Issue 2-2/3-1 Fall 2015/Spring 2016 | Page 67

World Food Policy - Volume 2 Issue 2/Volume 3 Issue 1, Fall 2015/Spring 2016

Toward a Restricted Tolerance of Street Vending of Food
in Hanoi Districts: The Role of Stakeholder Dialogue
Nguyen Thi Tan LocA & Paule MoustierB
In Vietnam, fruit and vegetable marketing is characterized by a diversity of
distribution chains, including formal markets, street vendors, shops, and
supermarkets. The government is promoting the expansion of supermarket
distribution and plans to eliminate all informal trade on the grounds of
modernization. The article investigates how the activities of street vendors can
be successfully integrated in the city, using a stakeholder dialogue approach.
Researchers appraised the role of street vendors in food distribution and
employment and documented a successful street vending model. Stakeholder
meetings were held to discuss the integration of street vending in Dong Da District.
A key result is the demonstration and recognition by city and district officials of
the dominant role of street vending in food distribution and employment of the
poor. Workshops helped the Hanoi city and district authorities agree to tolerate
street vendors in selected areas, with the setting of jointly developed commitments.
Keywords: Street vendors, Vietnam, food distribution, stakeholder dialogue,
informal markets

Introduction

25% in 2002. Economic and demographic
changes have caused an increase in the
demand for more diverse and better
quality produce, especially in urban areas.
The food distribution sector has adapted
to these changes and has now taken on
a diversity of forms. In Hanoi, a person
can purchase foodstuffs from a variety
of sources ranging from street vendors
to air-conditioned hypermarkets, with
shops and fixed market stalls in between
(Figuié and Moustier 2009; Mergenthaler,

D

uring the past 20 years, the food
sector in Vietnam has undergone
major changes. The reforms
implemented in the framework of the
doi moi, or “renovation” policy, have
been reflected in spectacular economic
growth, particularly in cities. In 2013,
the growth rate of the economy was 5%,
the urbanization growth rate 3%, and the
urbanization rate 33%, contrasting with

A

Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, Trau Quy, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UMR MOISA, France.
B

doi: 10.18278/wfp.2.2.3.1.5
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