In response to Hanoi tightening its crackdown on illegal sidewalk occupation, cafés in the city are showing moves to set the walls inward and create ”sidewalk-style” seating indoors. “Lofi Lab Cafe” at 30 To Hieu Street set its outer wall back about 2 meters from the road and created about 50 square meters of seating indoors that recreates the outdoor atmosphere. Co-owner Tien Dat says, “Think of it as a ”fake sidewalk” we made for customers who like sitting outside.”
Operating on the sidewalk was a symbol of Vietnam’s street-corner culture, but with the tightened regulations, café after café is losing seats. Each shop is making do with limited indoor space, devising ways to win back the customers they’ve lost.
“Lofi Lab Cafe,” which set its wall back 2 meters
Lofi Lab Cafe has a total site of 150 square meters. It moved its outer wall about 2 meters inward from the road and allotted the resulting roughly 50 square meters to outdoor-style seating. The remaining 100 square meters of indoor space is used in zones. The renovation was about 15 days from opening as of May 25, and its staging—letting you sit while gazing at street trees and the sidewalk scenery—is drawing talk.
From 5 seats to 11–12—the ingenuity of the café at 14 Hang Chuoi Street
Another example is the café at 14 Hang Chuoi Street. By reorienting the bar counter sideways to save space, it increased capacity from 5 people before the renovation to 11–12. Owner Manh Hung admits, “When we were first banned from operating on the sidewalk, we risked losing customers,” but says he responded by redesigning the interior.
The substance of the crackdown—the numbers on fines and rent
Hanoi is tightening its crackdown on the illegal commercial use of sidewalks. To summarize the proposed content, it’s as follows.
| Item | Amount (VND) | Approximate yen conversion |
|---|---|---|
| Fine for illegal sidewalk use | 4 million–6 million VND | About 23,000–34,000 yen |
| Monthly sidewalk rent (varies by district) | 20,000–45,000 VND/㎡ | About 114–257 yen/㎡ |
*Converted at 10,000 VND ≒ about 57 yen. Rent ranges by district.
The shops’ true feelings—a tug-of-war with customer traffic
For Vietnamese cafés, sidewalk seating is a classic style of gazing at the street from low tables and small chairs, and a source of revenue too. Losing seats to regulation risks a temporary loss of customers. That each shop is trying to bring the outdoor atmosphere indoors is the flip side of the deeply rooted demand for this street-corner culture.
What travelers should know
For travelers who enjoy touring Hanoi’s cafés, the sidewalk-seating scenery may change from here on. On the other hand, the ”fake sidewalk” seating recreated indoors looks set to become a new option to savor the Vietnamese-style street view while avoiding the crowded sidewalk. When walking around the Old Quarter, near To Hieu Street or Hang Chuoi Street, it’s worth peeking into these renovated shops.
Summary
Hanoi cafés trying to overcome the constraint of sidewalk regulation through interior redesign and staging. Lofi Lab Cafe’s ”fake sidewalk” seating can be called ingenuity born of the shared wish of shops and customers to preserve street-corner culture. The tug-of-war between regulation and culture looks set to become a mirror reflecting the future of Vietnam’s eateries.
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Source:DTiNews / Dan Tri / DTiNews (Hanoi sidewalk regulation)
