Hanoi was once considered “a city of green trees” but the rapidly developing capital faces a daily battle to maintain a presentable face.

Two of Hien’s colleagues are scraping the gutters clean on Pham Van Dong street. Pham Thi Oanh and Nguyen Hong Anh bemoan the street’s dustiness. This is one of the gates of Hanoi city and thousands upon thousands of trucks carrying sand and earth speed down this thoroughfare day and night.

Even though they’re wearing masks, Oanh and Anh still feel as if they’re breathing in a lot of dust while they try to sweep the streets clean. At 3.30am their carts are already full. Hong Anh helps Oanh push hers to where the carts will be collected by trucks before returning for the other cart.

“We have to work even if it’s raining,” says Hong Anh. “We also have to work while welcoming in the New Year.” Another street cleaner complains that people don’t take notice of them. “What irritates me the most is that people throw trash on the street right after I pass by and swept it clean,” says Pham Anh Tuc, who is currently charged with keeping Phan Chu Trinh street clean.

The job is also not without its dangers. Tuc claims he has to deal with drug addicts and other low life in the middle of the night. “People have abused me and threatened to beat me, if I continue sweeping near them,” he says. Hien has had similar hairy experiences with heroin users.

“Addicts have asked me to hide them behind my cart so that they can shoot up without being seen. If I refuse, they may threaten to beat me,” says Hien. “I felt afraid the first time but I’ve even got used to that.”
Hanoi Urban and Environment Company claim that many city residents do not discharge trash in accordance with regulations. Trash collection, therefore, has to be repeated throughout the day to keep the city clean.

The company has placed plastic trash bins in some areas around the city to help ease the burden of trash collection and disposal. About 3,000 public bins have been placed on some of the city’s largest thoroughfares.

Hanoi’s sterling reputation?

The Vietnam Urban Association recently announced the 10 cleanest cities in Vietnam but Hanoi’s inclusion has been the source of amusement and bemusement.

The other cities listed were Bac Ninh, Buon Ma Thuot, Dalat, Hoa Binh, Hue city, Thai Nguyen, Son La, Vinh and Viet Tri. The general consensus – even amongst proud Hanoians – was that the capital city awash with rubbish and polluted areas: How could it possibly be considered one of the country’s cleanest cities?

“It’s ridiculous. Hanoi should never have been recognised as a clean city. Maybe as the dirtiest city, where trash can be seen every where,” says Pham Khanh Linh, a student from Hanoi National University.
“I feel ashamed when I see an old man sitting on a bench throwing an empty can onto the ground in front of my foreign friends.”

Nguyen Lan Dung, a National Assembly delegate from Dak Lak province, says that nowhere in the world has as many ‘street side’ restaurants as Hanoi. “You will see that these are one of the biggest trash discharging sources. People eat and drink on pavements and then throw trash onto the street instinctively,” Dung says.

1,000th anniversary

With Hanoi on the verge of its much anticipated 1,000 year anniversary, this is a problem that the municipal authorities are extremely keen to address.

The city’s People’s Committee has drafted a list of penalties for those breaking trash collection regulations. People leaving their waste in the wrong places will be fined VND100,000- VND300,000 ($5.5- $17).
Those caught dumping waste from building sites can be fined up to VND5- VND10 million ($275-600). Contractors who illegally dump trash along roadsides or other inappropriate public places can be fined VND10- VND15 million ($600-833).

These new regulations have been implemented as of this month. According to Hanoi’s Department of Construction, within two years there will be no more trash carts. Instead Hanoi’s residents will use rubbish bins, which will be collected by trucks.

The 600 existing carts in the city’s four districts, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Ba Dinh and Hai Ba Trung, will be reduced by half next year and totally removed by 2012. This is also a cultural matter. People have got used to being able to hurl their discarded rubbish onto the street and letting someone else worry about it.

Perhaps, a campaign is needed to teach Hanoians to look around for a bin rather than dump their rubbish on the ground. If this city is to be truly clean and green, everyone needs to try a little harder and start cleaning up.

VietNamNet/Timeout