Ha Noi authorities have admitted that managing the city's markets, especially unofficial street markets (cho coc, leaping frog), has become challenging.

The meeting, held on Thursday by the Ha Noi People's Committee, said this was largely due to the city's large population.

"Many people have always depended on street markets, official and unofficial, to feed their families. We must keep that in mind and proceed with utmost precaution to come up with a well thought-out plan," said Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, deputy chairman of the city's People's Committee.

Tuan said policies must be made on the basis of how they would affect the everyday life of ordinary people and not based on the will of a few individuals.

He said it was important that local authorities co-operate with stall keepers and the media in the making of a policy that benefits all people.

The Ha Noi People's Committee said it would also invest in and expand traditional markets (or in Vietnamese, cho, which are official, but often derelict buildings), protect stall keepers and upgrade the infrastructure serving them, including fire safety.

Unofficial street markets (or leaping frogs) will be disbanded, especially those located near vital traffic routes, as they are often blamed for traffic jams and accidents.

The city urged district authorities to start preparing a plan to put resolutions into action, starting with making a list of street markets to be immediately removed.

VNS/VNN