In Hanoi, informal street vending is a very popular form of trade. Hence, for the authorities, street vendors and informal markets become objects that needed eliminating in order to promote modern image of the city. In spite of pressure from the authorities, street trade and informal markets are still very present, even growing in recent years.
In particular, one of the places where informal markets are most present is the alleys in spontaneous neigborhoods, formed by urbanization from below. This raises the question of whether alleys are a favorable place for the resilience of street vending or not. Based on a qualitative methodology, we will analyze the socio-spatial practices of street traders by observing and interviewing 21 street traders in two large and long-standing informal alley markets: Kham Thien market and Van Chuong market in Dong Da district, a central populous district where legal control in street trade is very strict.
In addition, data were collected in official documents, scientific studies and media coverage, all which have considerably contributed to the completion of this study. The article shows that thanks to the structural characteristics of alleys, informal commercial activities there have little impact on the modern urban image that the authorities desire and therefore street vendors are less affected by urban renewal operations.
Besides, the complex network of narrow and zigzag alleys allows street traders to escape the police easily. This trade form takes root in poverty, unemployment, or political instability. Many studies have shown its important role in the urban economy while, in public space, street trade faces conflicts and threats, particularly from the authorities who always try to abolish, limit, or standardize it.
The existence of street vending indeed represents complex power relationships between street vendors, street shop owners, residents, and the authorities, in the context of an ambiguous legal framework. Since , this commercial activity has been legally recognized yet not fitted with a business license. Despite all this, street trade is continuously subjected to threats from the authorities, who take it for a negative impact on the urban order, cleanliness, and urban modernity. In this article, we focus on the microscale of a specific type of workplace: the alley.
