Food shops on the sidewalk in Saigon's District 1. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran
Ho
Chi Minh City plans to launch a Facebook page next month to help street vendors
affected by the sidewalk revolution, but many vendors believe they are too old
and poorly-equipped to survive in an e-commerce environment.
Am thuc Quan 1 (Food of District 1) was set up by
the district government to advertise street food vendors who have lost their
usual spots as part of the sidewalk cleanup.
The
district also plans to help the vendors open their own Facebook pages.
Their
food will be inspected and they will receive training to help them adapt to the
new business model as part of the plan.
The
page will support those who have not been included in a new legal street food
zone initiative. Street zones have been planned on Nguyen Van Chiem Street
behind Notre Dame Cathedral and Bach Tung Diep Park near the Reunification
Palace. The city has selected 35 street vendors to trial the initiative out of
more than 500 who make up the city’s street food culture.
Vendors
interviewed by VnExpress on Thursday
did not seem excited about going online.
Many
of them were not convinced that moving online will work for them.
Pham
Thi Mai, who used to sell dessert soup by a tree near Saigon Square, said her
small business, that earns her VND150,000 ($7) per day, is not big enough to be
selected for the new street food corner, and the Facebook page is not a viable
option.
“My
only customers are the women who sell clothes here. If I put these bowls of
soup online, no one is going to buy them,” said Mai.
“And
I am too old to take phone calls,” said the 75-year-old, referring to delivery
services.
Deliveries
are also going to be a tough one for Cuc, who sells grilled bananas outside Ben
Thanh Market. “I don't have anyone to do that for me,” she said.
Food
vendors around Turtle Lake also said that they depend on passers-by and do not
think that online sales will secure them a stable customer base.
Lam
Ngo Hoang Anh, District 1’s office chief, has guaranteed that the district will
send young volunteers to help run the Facebook pages and deliveries.
Anh
believes that the plan will give vendors better publicity and help them attract
more customers.
By Vien Dong/VnExpress