Breathing again in the public spaces of Hanoi
Walking in the charming streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the usually overcrowded and hyperactive touristic centre, has never been so peaceful in decades. After 3weeks of lockdown, I realised how lucky I was to stay in a country which seems to have completely got rid of COVID-19, wandering around Hoan Kiem lake on a Saturday afternoon and seeing families playing in the parks enjoying fully this return to reality.
A few months ago, foreigners were feared and avoided in the capital city, epicentre of the health crisis in Vietnam (especially with the second wave and Case number 17), but the situation has now totally reversed and the very few foreigners remaining, like me, are treated with the most respectful and welcoming attitude, as the economy dependant on tourism tries to keep the head above the water. If the situation seems now under control and going “back as normal”, the strong restrictions on the use of public space and social distancing, even for a few weeks, might have a permanent impact on the relationships of Hanoians with public space. In any case, this is an opportunity to observe some new behaviours from the population who question us about new urban policies to redesign the capital city.
Fighting the virus like the enemy
With 331 cases and no death reported today, we can say that Vietnam, the communist neighbour of China, dealt pretty well with COVID-19. Hanoi, located just about 1300 km from Wuhan, was the most severely hit area of the country with… 114 cases only. Despite some critics challenging the low numbers, because of the reputed lack of transparency from the socialist government, we can surely say that the same government is responsible for the exemplary management of the health crisis, often quoted amongst South Korea and Taiwan by international press. After all, whether there are accurate numbers or not, what counts the most in the end is the effectiveness of the measures, and how well people are protected from the pandemic.
Vietnam’s response to the crisis can be summarized by quick, serious and cost-effective, with a small dose of propaganda. The effects on urban public space were quite impressive especially during the lockdown with empty streets and roads, some neighbourhoods completely put in quarantine and the use of patriotic spirit of the Vietnamese people with slogans like “to stay at home is to love your country” or “working together to fight against COVID-19”. With a long history of war, the analogy is often made with pride to explain the victory over the virus. Like during war times, this is the result of a collective effort from the whole population, including all social classes, to stick together, help each other and strictly respect the rules.
Reclaiming more public space
In the crowded and fast-growing city of Hanoi, populated by 8 million inhabitants, the fight was however not easy to win. As we know, dense urban areas are likely to be the epidemic focus of viruses because of proximity and inevitable contact. The human density of Hanoi’s centre is extremely high, reaching 42,000 inhabitants/km2, which can be compared to other Asian metropolises like Hong Kong, Shanghai or Manila. Unfortunately, this concentration of population doesn’t come with the essential presence of public spaces, like parks or other recreational areas. In fact, urban parks represent only 1m2 per person (especially low in the peripheral districts), far below than other close Asian cities like Bangkok (1.8m2 per person).
Therefore, there is a serious demand coming from the citizens for public space to be used for social and recreational activities, resulting in informal use of the sidewalks and empty spaces, creating conflicts between different users. The classic example of these uses is the omnipresence of street vendors and use of the sidewalks for many sport activities like badminton. Despite the charms of this little chaos, creation of more attractive, accessible and safe public spaces could be a good urban development action, especially to allow people to breathe in the busy city and prevent health crises.
It all began in a local market
The presence everywhere in Hanoi of street vendors and local markets — far more than the supermarkets — leads to the question of informal economy. Because it all began in a market in Wuhan, the first reaction was obviously to prohibit street vending in all of Vietnam during the crisis, considered unhygienic, while keeping supermarkets and formally registered markets open for basic necessities. This fits into the trend of the Vietnamese government to promote the development of supermarkets and convenience store and increasingly repressing informal street vendors in order to improve food safety because hidden practices are difficult to keep track of and regulate.
Although it comes from good intentions, the problem is that many inhabitants rely on this hidden economy, especially lower classes, because of more affordable prices on a daily demand. On top of that, street vending is in the centre of community life, providing social links as well as fresh and healthy food for all citizens. During the lockdown, many vendors were forced to decide between the risk of being exposed to the virus and or the risk not being able to provide for their family. The COVID-19 crisis, emptying the streets during the lockdown and increasing vulnerability of poor people, emphasizes even more than before the importance to preserve this urban tradition.
Same facemask, different situation
One of the positive effects of the lockdown was the significant reduction of air pollution in many cities around the world, such as Hanoi. The city was recently among the most polluted city in the planet, with a concentration of fine dust PM2.5 very often exceeding 100 µg/m3 (10 times higher than World Health Organization recommendation), but during the lockdown at the end of March, this concentration has dropped below 50 µg/m3. For a few weeks, Hanoians finally got a glimpse of enjoying a walk outside (while respecting social distances, of course) without the typical smog hiding natural sunlight.
This impressive decrease is the consequence of the shutdown of many manufacturing activities, but above all, the reduction of individual transportation. The Vietnamese capital is known for a low use of public transportation against a predominance of motorcycles, due to the ease of moving in the narrow streets and zigzagging in the middle of traffic jams. The road infrastructure is no longer adapted to this increasing use of individual transportation resulting in uncompetitive public transport, especially for long travel distances from the suburbs to the city centre. As the roads became busier every year, soft mobility (walking and cycling) became even more unsafe in the streets, especially during rush hour, when bikers don’t hesitate to use the sidewalks to drive, like an overflowing stream.
The urgent need to improve the public transportation system to invert the tendency is an important matter for the local government for ages, but projects take more time than planned to materialize. Two metro lines were supposed to be constructed already 10 years ago (and 6 more in planning), but were postponed every year because of financial and procedural issues. Inhabitants of Hanoi started to think that the projects will never see the daylight. Nevertheless, these concerns are now more serious than ever with climate change. Alarming numbers show that an estimated 50,232 Vietnamese people died because of air pollution during the year 2017 alone. In this country, people don’t die because of viruses, but of air pollution and Hanoians were used to wearing facemasks for a while before the pandemic.
Towards a breathable city
In constant tension between its past traditions and its fast metropolization, Hanoi is now at a turning point of its history. Now more than ever, the city needs to evolve by improving its quality of living while preserving long lasting community traditions which are a key aspect to social life in the Asian culture. Although COVID-19 pandemic will have short and mid-term negative economic impacts on the city as well as on the rest of Vietnam, this crisis can be seen positively as the perfect moment to reveal the urban issues Hanoi is facing. It is of great importance to raise awareness of the local and national authorities, to work on new development plans for the long term. In the end, what the people of Hanoi need the most right now is to breathe again.
References
Labbé, D. (2010). Facing the urban transition in Hanoi: recent urban planning issues and initiatives. INRS University, Montréal.
Honey-Roses, J., Anguelovski, I., Bohigas, J., Chireh, V., Daher, C., Konijnendijk, C., … Nieuwenhuijsen, M. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Public Space: A Review of the Emerging Questions.
Pham Hoài Chung (2019). Urban transport in major cities in Vietnam. Transport Development & Strategy Institute - TDSI, Ministry of Transport.
FANCHETTE, S. ; et al. Chapter 8. Multi-activity employment, agricultural decline and urban transition In : Hà Nội, a Metropolis in the Making : The Breakdown in Urban Integration of Villages [en ligne]. Marseille : IRD Éditions, 2016.
Sigrid Wertheim-Heck (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the diets of Hanoi’s urban poor. Article: https://www.iied.org
World Travel and Tourism Council (2020). Viet Nam, 2020 annual research: key highlights.
Max Walden (2020). How has Vietnam, a developing nation in South-East Asia, done so well to combat coronavirus? Article: https://www.abc.net.au
Nguyen Quy (2019). Pollution kills over 71,300 in Vietnam in a year. Article: https://e.vnexpress.net
Jasmine Le(2020). Vietnam air quality improves thanks to COVID-19. Article: https://vietnamtimes.org.vn
