HCMC considers 22 pedestrian areas to drive night economy, boost tourism

Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Transport is proposing adding 22 downtown walking streets over the next three years to promote tourism, especially at night, and ease traffic.

Accordingly, from now to 2023, the pedestrian zone would include the roundabout of International Square, Pham Ngoc Thach street, the area called Paris Commune (from Le Duan street to Nguyen Du street), Le Loi street (from Nguyen Hue street to the roundabout at Quach Thi Trang) , Dong Khoi street (from Nguyen Du to Le Loi), Phan Chu Trinh street, and Phan Boi Chau street.

The city plans to restrict vehicles across these areas to prioritize pedestrians on Nguyen An Ninh street and Luu Van Lang street.

In the following two years, the pedestrian zone will be continuously expanded to Dong Khoi street (from Le Loi to Ton Duc Thang), Lam Son Square (from Dong Khoi to Hai Ba Trung), along with Le Loi, Nguyen Thiep, and Le Loi streets, Mac Thi Buoi, Ngo Duc Ke (section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi).

By 2025, the city center will have a pedestrian route on Ham Nghi street (Ton Duc Thang to Quach Thi Trang roundabout). Ton That Dam Street (from Ham Nghi to Huynh Thuc Khang), Thai Van Lung and Thi Sach would restrict vehicles to prioritize pedestrians.

These pedestrian streets follow the Metro Line No.1 route, expected to enter operation by the end of next year.

HCMC currently has two city-level pedestrian zones, Nguyen Hue that debuted in 2015 and Bui Vien, opened in 2017.

In 2020, District 10 invested VND2.5 billion ($107,000) to organize a food, shopping, pedestrian street based on a night economy model in front of Nguyen Tri Phuong Market.

Last year, District 3 proposed opening a pedestrian zone in the Con Rua (Turtle) Lake area, but the scope overlaps with areas proposed by the contruction department, which included them into its proposal.

Hanoi currently has four pedestrian zones including one near Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, Trinh Cong Son Street and one in Son Tay town on the city's outskirts.