Hanoi: Public benches by the West Lake are occupied. If you want to sit, you must… drink water and pay for it

April 19, 2022 07:50 GMT+7

Nhat Chieu Street (Nhat Tan ward, Tay Ho district, Hanoi) has long become a place to stop for sightseeing, cool and relax, especially in summer days.

However, at present, public property is being occupied by some beverage vendors, people are not free to sit on stone benches, if they want to sit, they must… pay for drinking water.

Many business households occupy the space along the West Lake to make sales.

After the epidemic ended, the couple Le Hoang Linh (Co Nhue, Bac Tu Liem) took their children to the edge of West Lake to enjoy the wind and give their children a comfortable natural space to play. Arriving at Nhat Chieu Street, seeing that there was a large lawn, Linh and her husband stopped to play, convenient to have a stone chair to sit on.

“My wife and I brought our children here to want to walk for a while to make them comfortable, after a few months of translating, leaving them in the house was always uncomfortable, going for a while to find a stone chair to sit down to relieve fatigue, but if we want to sit here, we have to drink water. then there is a “beautiful” location. In front of the stone benches, the iced tea sellers have plastic tables ready, occupying the “own” space. We don’t support this kind of business, so we have to take our children somewhere else,” Linh said angrily.

According to observations, Nhat Chieu Street is only about 1km long, but there are dozens of water stalls for sale, and public stone benches serving people seem to have become the private property of some individuals.

Business “location” is clearly demarcated. One piece of sidewalk for each person. Which public bench belongs to someone’s area, that person “marks” the seat.

As noted by PV Infonet On the afternoon of April 18, when someone sat down on a public stone bench, the water vendors ran to ask what water to use, if not, they were asked to get up.

“What water do you guys drink, this is the chair I bought at home, if you don’t drink, get up for me to do business,” said a water vendor at 87 Nhat Chieu.

However, not long after, when the car of the Ward Police arrived, this woman quickly cleaned up the plastic table placed in front of the stone chairs and brought it into the house.

Although I just told the guests that the stone chairs ‘purchased from my house’, but when the police passed, the tables placed in front of the chairs to occupy the seats were quickly cleaned up…

When the functional forces passed, the tables were returned to sell as usual.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Dinh (in Quang Ba, Tay Ho) said: “I often take my grandson here to exercise. Many times there is a stone bench that cannot be sat, very frustrating. Walking forever without a place to rest is also inconvenient, sitting and resting costs money to drink water. In order to have a place to rest, admire the lake and enjoy the wind, many people regret losing money to buy drinks, otherwise they have to accept standing or walking.”

The situation of shops occupying space and public benches on Nhat Chieu Street has been popular for a long time, causing frustration for people, especially causing unsightly beauty and creating non-cultural scenes in front of tourists. foreign.

All over Nhat Chieu Street, where there are stone chairs, there will be plastic tables set up to sell soft drinks and snacks.

Many shops also have ready-made recliners, filling the sidewalks.

Around 4 p.m. every day, the stalls race to set up seats on the sidewalk.

Nhat Chieu Street is just over 1km, but there are dozens of shops occupying the sidewalks on both sides of the road for business.

A beverage seller displays recliners and umbrellas, turning the edge of West Lake into a beach space.

Reclining chairs are displayed in the area that is a pedestrian and exercise path.

All aisles are blocked by chairs.

Even chairs are placed on the public green carpet.

The space opposite the restaurant is fully utilized.

Large umbrellas were erected close to the lakeside.

Bao Khanh