World Food Policy Volume/Issue 2-2/3-1 Fall 2015/Spring 2016 | Page 68

Toward a Restricted Tolerance of Street Vending of Food in Hanoi Districts

Weinberger, and Qaim 2009). Yet, this
diversity is currently threatened by
the government’s clear promotion of
modern high-volume distribution and
the planned eradication of informal trade
activities, including that of street vendors.
In the Vietnam context, we define street
vendors as persons selling from baskets,
motorbikes, or bicycles, usually moving
from one place to the other, sometimes
forming groups to sell on stretches of
pavement or in other vacant spaces. This
is in line with the definition given by
Bhowmik (2005). The planned fast-track
increase of supermarkets and elimination
of temporary markets and street vendors
is indicated in the strategy put forward by
the Domestic Trade Department of the
Ministry of Trade from the present until
2020, on the grounds of “modernizing”
and “civilizing” commerce (Vietnam
Ministry of Trade 2006). Regulation 36CP
on traffic order and safety (dated February
2003) made street vending illegal, mostly
because of traffic issues. However, in
January 2009, street vending was actually
recognized by Decision 46/2009 of the
Hanoi People Committee, but prohibited
on 63 major streets and some 48 public
spaces including hospitals, squares, and
bus stations.

At the same time, although
Vietnam is praised for its success
in poverty alleviation, poverty and
unemployment are still major concerns
for the government and donors. Poverty
in Vietnam is mostly rural. In 2010, the
average poverty rate was 20%, while the
urban poverty rate was between 6% and
7%. Yet, urban poverty is underestimated
as most migrants are not registered and
do not benefit from social services. And
the percentage of urban residents who

suffer from non-monetary deprivations
is much higher than the poverty rate
(World Bank 2012; Thanh, Anh, and
Phuong 2013).

Food distribution by itinerant
vendors is well known to be a key factor
in the social inclusion of the poor, as it
creates small-scale business activities
and has a positive impact in giving the
poor access to food commodities. In
Asia, their numbers have kept increasing
in the last 10 years because of growing
unemployment problems in cities, where
in most of them it is estimated that
informal jobs outnumber formal jobs
(Bhowmik, op. cit.).

Making street vending an illegal
activity and therefore making those who
are engaged in it subject to a number
of threats is not specific to Vietnam,
as many countries in Asia and Africa
have declared street vending illegal. The
banning of street vending usually results
from alleged traffic or health issues,
often linked to modernization projects
that favor large-scale and capitalintensive investments (Cross 2000).
Asian governments typically have a
policy of increasing formal employment
and eliminating informal employment.
A more pragmatic approach is to allow
“semi-formality,” in other words promote
a self-regulating system with regulatory
enforcement reduced to a minimum,
thus protecting the flexibility of street
vending which is uniquely adapted to the
conditions of the urban poor (Cross, op.
cit.).

The experience of other countries
shows cases of successful integration
of street vending in urban planning
when street vendors are organized and
dialogue is maintained with authorities.
68