A plan is being studied to establish a one-stop food street for vendors in the Old Quarter area of Hanoi.
Whilethe idea is only in its formative stages, it is understood it couldeventually resemble highly popular food streets in Singapore, Hong Kongand Bangkok.
It is the first phase in a comprehensive project bythe Hoan Kiem District People's Committee to transform the Old Quarterarea into a more attractive destination to all visitors - foreigners andVietnamese.
The committee has chosen the Dong Xuan Joint StockCompany, manager of the Dong Xuan market, to study the idea and come upwith a proposal.
Do Xuan Thuy, Director of the company, said theOld Quarter was already a good place to eat, but it was not always easyfor visitors to find the places that are so popular with Vietnamese.
Many did not even know there was such a variety of stalls and restaurants hidden away in the network of streets.
"However, some issues need to be resolved," Thuy said. "These include the disorganisation of food vendors."
Itis believed that one of the models for the proposed entity would be thecollection of street stalls brought together at Quan An Ngon in PhanBoi Chau street.
Thuy said another problem that needed solving was the practice of restaurants using waiters to urge passers-by to eat inside.
"Theestablishment of a proper food street would also enable bettermanagement of surrounding restaurants and provide customers with betterservice," he said.
Last year, Hanoi was ranked first in the top 10 list of destinations for street food on the loneyplanet.com.website.
Hanoi has also been ranked among Asia's 10 greatest food cities by CNNTravel.
The latest move is not the first time attempts have been made to set up a major food street in the Old Quarter.
TongDuy Tan street, at the tail end of the Old Quarter, was upgraded duringpreparations for the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi four years ago. Itwas intended to become the city's main food street.
Despite some investment in infrastructure, the street as Hanoi's destination for food leaves much to be desired.
Vietnamese restaurants there often fail to impress visitors because of their prices and overbearing attitudes.
Thequality of the food is often good, but it is limited in variety. Menusare full of hotpots, medicinal herb chicken soup, sticky rice, friedrice, and rice porridge.
Hygiene is another issue in the hidden pocket of restaurants. The gutters are often full of waste fluids from kitchens.
Food is often prepared and cooked next to parked motorbikes and rubbish bins.
Twotourists from the Republic of Korea, Lee Do-hoon and Kim Chang-hoon,said they were concerned about the sanitation in Tong Duy Tan.
They said during their two-day stay in Hanoi, they only ate pho noodle soup because everything was boiled!
However, Peter Gong, a tourist from the Netherlands, while quite happy with the food, said he was bothered by the waiters.
"Ilike to make my own decisions where to eat and sometimes the waitershere can be pushy," he said. "Why don't they all have a menu standoutside each restaurant with pictures and prices for the dishes?"
A couple from New Zealand said they only found the area by accident after walking for hours looking for a place to eat.
"Itis such a nice place. Why is there no information on it anywhere?" theysaid, "We would have come here sooner if we knew about this place."
Betterorganisation, better information, better hygiene and more variety -including dishes from other regions of Vietnam, would be part of any newfood street.
Nguyen Manh Hung, owner of the Ky Dong restaurant in Tong Duy Tan, has spent years in the restaurant trade.
"Theultimate question is whether the food street is a place to serve foodor a place to showcase the culinary art of a city with a thousand yearsof history," he said.-VNA
Whilethe idea is only in its formative stages, it is understood it couldeventually resemble highly popular food streets in Singapore, Hong Kongand Bangkok.
It is the first phase in a comprehensive project bythe Hoan Kiem District People's Committee to transform the Old Quarterarea into a more attractive destination to all visitors - foreigners andVietnamese.
The committee has chosen the Dong Xuan Joint StockCompany, manager of the Dong Xuan market, to study the idea and come upwith a proposal.
Do Xuan Thuy, Director of the company, said theOld Quarter was already a good place to eat, but it was not always easyfor visitors to find the places that are so popular with Vietnamese.
Many did not even know there was such a variety of stalls and restaurants hidden away in the network of streets.
"However, some issues need to be resolved," Thuy said. "These include the disorganisation of food vendors."
Itis believed that one of the models for the proposed entity would be thecollection of street stalls brought together at Quan An Ngon in PhanBoi Chau street.
Thuy said another problem that needed solving was the practice of restaurants using waiters to urge passers-by to eat inside.
"Theestablishment of a proper food street would also enable bettermanagement of surrounding restaurants and provide customers with betterservice," he said.
Last year, Hanoi was ranked first in the top 10 list of destinations for street food on the loneyplanet.com.website.
Hanoi has also been ranked among Asia's 10 greatest food cities by CNNTravel.
The latest move is not the first time attempts have been made to set up a major food street in the Old Quarter.
TongDuy Tan street, at the tail end of the Old Quarter, was upgraded duringpreparations for the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi four years ago. Itwas intended to become the city's main food street.
Despite some investment in infrastructure, the street as Hanoi's destination for food leaves much to be desired.
Vietnamese restaurants there often fail to impress visitors because of their prices and overbearing attitudes.
Thequality of the food is often good, but it is limited in variety. Menusare full of hotpots, medicinal herb chicken soup, sticky rice, friedrice, and rice porridge.
Hygiene is another issue in the hidden pocket of restaurants. The gutters are often full of waste fluids from kitchens.
Food is often prepared and cooked next to parked motorbikes and rubbish bins.
Twotourists from the Republic of Korea, Lee Do-hoon and Kim Chang-hoon,said they were concerned about the sanitation in Tong Duy Tan.
They said during their two-day stay in Hanoi, they only ate pho noodle soup because everything was boiled!
However, Peter Gong, a tourist from the Netherlands, while quite happy with the food, said he was bothered by the waiters.
"Ilike to make my own decisions where to eat and sometimes the waitershere can be pushy," he said. "Why don't they all have a menu standoutside each restaurant with pictures and prices for the dishes?"
A couple from New Zealand said they only found the area by accident after walking for hours looking for a place to eat.
"Itis such a nice place. Why is there no information on it anywhere?" theysaid, "We would have come here sooner if we knew about this place."
Betterorganisation, better information, better hygiene and more variety -including dishes from other regions of Vietnam, would be part of any newfood street.
Nguyen Manh Hung, owner of the Ky Dong restaurant in Tong Duy Tan, has spent years in the restaurant trade.
"Theultimate question is whether the food street is a place to serve foodor a place to showcase the culinary art of a city with a thousand yearsof history," he said.-VNA
