Volunteers clear ads on electric poles in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Saturday morning.

The capital city of Hanoi on Saturday started to remove drawings and small ads pasted illegally around the city.

Nguyen Quoc Hoa, deputy chairman of the district People’s Committee, said workers used water to take out the paper ads and painted over the ones on walls and electric poles.

The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will set up free boards for sticking ads in five downtown districts Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung and Long Bien to “maintain small ads in order.”

Many local residents have also joined the campaign.

“It was not only houses facing streets that had the problem with these ads, but also those in the alley,” said Nguyen Thi Son, a resident of Cau Giay District.

“Every morning you woke up, you saw several more phone numbers right outside your door.”

After removing the ads, Son said the city should be strict so that the advertisements that made the city ugly don’t return.

The Hanoi People’s Committee has announced connections to the phone numbers listed on the ads will be cut and power supply to the firms posting such adds will be cut off.

If firms persist in posting the illegal advertisements, the city will revoke their business licenses, the committee said.

Source: Tuoi Tre