I want to start out by saying that I really like living in Vietnam and mostly I really enjoy most of what comes along with it. That doesn't, however, mean that I have to agree with everything that takes place here.
I am sure that this issue happens all over the world but I notice it every single day in my own walks to and from wherever I am going.
The sidewalks belong to the city, not to the property that is next to it, but often, property owners don't agree with this or simply do not care and will take over that area with tables, plants, trash bins, and of course parking for motorbikes.
This isn't a particularly busy part of town yet pedestrians are force to walk in the street and then get beeped at by cars for being in "their space" when "my space" is intentionally blocked by inconsiderate and selfish people.
The bikes could be parked in a way that would allow people to still use the sidewalk and honestly, this is a pretty darn nice sidewalk as well. Yet nobody ever does anything about it.
Other businesses will intentionally put heavy potted plants or some sort of barricade down so that people cannot walk in front of their place. This isn't legal but nobody ever does anything about it. One of the frustrating things about living in Vietnam is that it seems that unless you are inside of your own yard, apartment, or house, someone is always trying to take what little bit of space that you have at the time, away from you.
This is not a new gripe nor is it specific to where I live in the country. Virtually every pedestrian walkway has been turned into a motorbike parking lot and those which haven't, have been taken over by various businesses who illegally set up sitting areas and then block the pedestrians from walking through. Your only choice at this point is to walk in the street.
I have noticed that at certain places in the country, normally where rich people live or where there are government buildings, that motorbike parking is banned and there is a guy in a green uniform ready to blow a whistle at you if you so much as approach said area.
of course if they did ban it we have to ask the question about where are the bikes going to go? I mean, they have to go somewhere, right? I am reminded of other places in the world where there are these wonderful things called "parking lots" that I guess this part of the world hasn't heard of yet. It really does clean things up even if it does mean that the person driving the bike has to walk a few blocks. I would love to see this implemented but I know that is just a pipe dream on my part.
I know that my own property puts these very heavy cement benches and tables in front of our building on the public parking lot but the reason why they do this is because it would become a motorbike parking lot just like everywhere else if they did not. It's kind of funny and I'll need to remember to take a photo of it later because on both sides of my apartment that is exactly what has happened, it's just row after row after row of bikes and I'm looking around thinking "where are all the people that own these things?" I mean, none of the businesses around here are busy, so where are the owners?
here is a fun article about how the sidewalks are for everyone except pedestrians and while it is based out of a much more populated city of Saigon or HCMC, the story is the same here in Da Nang.
