The problem of the attraction of culinary streets in Ho Chi Minh City

Many culinary neighborhoods have not been effective.

Launched in December 2022, Nguyen Thuong Hien food street (District 3) was only crowded in the first few days of its launch. After that, this street became deserted, with shops mainly selling through applications.

Mr. Hoang Son - running a drink shop on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street - shared: "The shops here are quite small in area so seating for customers is limited. Along the street are shops selling mixed rice paper, mixed pork, milk tea... but they are scattered so customers are hesitant to choose. In addition, many customers are also reluctant to visit this neighborhood because there is no parking space."

Deserted scene at Nguyen Thuong Hien food street (District 3). Photo: Nguyen Chan

The desolate situation also occurred at Ky Dai Quang Trung food street (District 10). In December 2020, this street officially came into operation with 49 food stalls, each stall is from 4.5 - 6 ^m2 wide, and a concentrated dining area of about 300 ^m2 .

However, after more than 3 years of operation, this area has been "forgotten" by many people in Ho Chi Minh City. Many small traders try to stay with their business in Ky Dai Quang Trung food street.

"The food street was only crowded in the first few months of its opening, but now every stall is deserted. Although it has been renovated, customers are increasingly scarce, and many vendors have switched to selling other products" - Ms. Thanh Thuong - a resident of District 10 shared.

According to the reporter's records, currently only a few famous places are crowded with customers such as Ho Thi Ky food street (District 10), Vinh Khanh (District 4) and 2 "brand new" food streets Ha Ton Quyen (District 11), Phan Xich Long (District Phu Nhuan). Meanwhile, other streets such as Nguyen Thuong Hien (District 3), Ky Dai Quang Trung (District 10), Hau Giang (District 6)... are deserted.

Currently, many localities are planning to open more culinary streets in the Crescent Lake - Anh Sao Bridge area (District 7), Trung Son (Binh Chanh District). This is a problem for local authorities in developing new streets to avoid repeating the scenario of "more sellers than buyers".

Many factors need to be carefully considered

Mr. Nguyen Tran Hoang Phuong - Acting Director of the Institute of Social Tourism Research said that when the opened neighborhoods are sluggish, but new culinary neighborhoods continue to open, many factors must be considered. First, it is necessary to clearly define the purpose of opening culinary neighborhoods, whether it is to gather management, develop the local economy or to make reports and books.

“If you open a food street to develop the local economy, you need to review the overall planning to see if it is systematic, has the ability to attract tourists and is in line with market trends. If you open a food street just to manage spontaneous business activities, it will not be effective,” said Mr. Phuong.

At the end of January 2024, Phan Xich Long food street (Phu Nhuan district) officially opened to serve people and diners. Photo: Ha May

Assessing the potential of the night economy in Ho Chi Minh City, according to Mr. Luu Nhat Tuan - Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Culinary Association, with the characteristics of a "city that never sleeps" like Ho Chi Minh City, the development of the night economy has not yet fully exploited its inherent potential. The government recently opened more night food streets, which is a positive sign, proving that the city is on the right track to exploit the potential of the night economy.

However, Mr. Tuan said that there is still much to discuss about how to coordinate the management and planning of food streets. He suggested that when planning a new area, the state management agency should only play the role of manager, supervisor, and create conditions for businesses to accompany. Because the businesses themselves will know what to do to develop their business, for their livelihood.

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