标签： Oceania

For decades, the iconic streetscape of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has been defined by its chaotic, beloved kerb culture: colorful food stalls line narrow lanes and wide boulevards, groups of locals and tourists huddle on low plastic stools sipping cold bia hoi and iced tea, and scooters weave between crowds of hawkers selling everything from fresh flowers to haircut services. This informal, spontaneous way of life has drawn millions of visitors, captivated global figures from former US President Barack Obama to celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, and sustained tens of thousands of working-class vendors who rely on footpath trade to make a modest living. But in recent months, a sweeping new enforcement campaign to clear illegal pavement occupation has upended this centuries-old tradition, splitting public opinion across the rapidly growing city of 8 million.

Unauthorized vending, parking and footpath obstruction have long been informally tolerated by local authorities, a quiet compromise that allowed informal commerce to flourish even as the city expanded. Today, however, that compromise is over: municipal officials have rolled out a sustained crackdown, installing nearly 2,000 new surveillance cameras to track violators, issuing more than 3,000 fines since December, and currently debating a proposal to double existing penalty amounts. Under current rules, businesses that block pedestrian space face fines as high as 6 million Vietnamese dong ($230), while unregistered street vendors pay penalties of 250,000 dong. Many unauthorised vendors have already been relocated to underused vacant lots far from the dense, high-foot-traffic downtown areas that made their businesses viable.

For long-time vendors like 58-year-old Nguyen Thi Hoan, who sold flowers from the same downtown pavement spot for 10 years, the crackdown has gutted her livelihood. Relocated to a low-traffic vacant lot, her daily turnover has fallen by roughly half. “Without vendors, I don’t think Hanoi is Hanoi anymore,” Hoan said, acknowledging that she supports the goal of clearer pedestrian space but adding she has no alternative way to make ends meet. “Street vending is the tradition of people in Hanoi.”

The debate over the crackdown cuts across all segments of Hanoi’s population. The kerb culture that draws vendors and tourists has long come with well-documented downsides: chronic traffic congestion, frequent noise complaints from local residents, and ongoing public concerns over food safety and sanitary conditions. Many city residents welcome the new order, saying the cleared footpaths have eliminated the daily danger of being forced into active roadways to get around. Le Trung Chien, a marketing professional working in downtown Hanoi, recalled for years being forced to walk in moving traffic because vendors and parked scooters blocked the entire sidewalk. “I completely support the city’s efforts to make the sidewalks clear and tidy,” he said. “I don’t like my city to be a mess as it has always been.”

City authorities frame the campaign as a necessary step to bring order and cleanliness to Hanoi as it undergoes rapid economic development, a priority for Vietnam’s national leadership that has overseen years of breakneck growth. This is not the first time Hanoi has launched a footpath clearing initiative—previous campaigns often fizzled out after a short period of enforcement—but this iteration has been far more sustained and better resourced, with digital surveillance to ensure consistent compliance. As part of the new regulatory plan floated this month, officials are also considering a scheme that would allow vendors to pay to rent officially authorized kerb space, combining order with limited preservation of the traditional street trade.

For registered businesses that built their model around outdoor sidewalk seating, the crackdown has already hit bottom lines. Tran Trung Van, manager of a three-story downtown coffee shop, says around a third of his customers prefer to sit outside, especially during cool mornings, evenings and winter months. Now, he has to turn away those customers, and has lost business as a result. “Culture and habits mean people want to be outside,” he explained. That sentiment is widely shared among young, local patrons: office worker Dinh Tung says he misses lingering with colleagues at outdoor tables that once spilled into the street, echoing Hoan’s view of what makes Hanoi unique. “I hope things will return to normal soon,” he said. “Hanoi is only Hanoi if we can have sidewalk iced tea.”

Hanoi’s kerb culture gained global fame after a 2016 visit where former President Barack Obama shared a bun cha meal with the late chef Anthony Bourdain for Bourdain’s CNN travel show Parts Unknown. While the pair ate their $6 meal indoors, the Hanoi episode of the show was widely seen as a love letter to the city’s streetscape, highlighting everything from outdoor pavement Zumba classes to street food vendors to the local cheap draft beer tradition that draws visitors from across the globe. In recent years, Hanoi has hit record numbers of annual tourist arrivals, many of whom come specifically to experience the iconic street culture that is now at the center of the city’s regulatory shift.

A 9-year-old child is recovering in a Sydney hospital after a collision with a marked police car that was en route to an emergency fire call on the city’s North Shore. The incident unfolded at approximately 7:20 p.m. on Monday along the Pacific Highway in St Leonards, just a short distance from the Christie Street blaze that officers were rushing to contain.

Upon impact, first responding officers immediately provided on-site emergency care to the injured boy, before teams of paramedics arrived to upgrade treatment ahead of transport. After stabilizing the child at the crash site, medical teams transferred him to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, where he remains in stable condition as of Tuesday.

The driver of the police vehicle, a male senior constable with New South Wales Police, underwent mandatory breath alcohol testing at the scene immediately after the collision, and the test returned a negative result, ruling out impairment as a factor in the incident.

Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that formal investigations into the full circumstances of the crash are still ongoing. No further details about the child’s identity or the extent of his injuries have been released to the public at this time.

Australia’s top consumer protection watchdog has taken urgent action against four major online retail platforms, calling for the immediate removal of banned toys containing small, high-powered magnets that pose life-threatening risks to consumers, particularly young children.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) confirmed it has issued formal takedown requests to global e-commerce giants Amazon and eBay, along with Australian online retailer Kogan and global marketplace Fruugo. The targeted products include popular items such as Magnetic Chess and Magnetic Battle Chess, all of which contain the small, extremely strong magnets that have been permanently banned from sale in Australia since 2012.

This nationwide ban was implemented over well-documented safety concerns: if multiple magnets are swallowed, they can bond together through intestinal walls and digestive tissue, causing catastrophic internal damage, life-threatening complications, and even choking hazards that primarily impact young children who are most likely to put small objects in their mouths. Despite the decade-long ban, ACCC’s recent investigation discovered that these prohibited products remain readily available for purchase by Australian consumers through the major online marketplaces, prompting the regulator’s formal intervention.

“Small, high-powered magnets can cause catastrophic, life-threatening internal injuries if swallowed, particularly for young children,” said ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe in a formal statement. “Multiple magnets can stick together in the intestine or digestive tissue. They are a choking hazard. We are extremely concerned that our investigation has detected sellers listing these banned products on online marketplaces and we urge all online marketplaces to do more to prevent listings of these products to keep consumers, especially young children, safe.”

Beyond issuing the takedown notices, the ACCC has also enforced a mandatory product safety standard that governs all toys containing these dangerous magnets to strengthen long-term consumer protection. Following the regulator’s intervention, all four targeted platforms have publicly committed to implementing immediate measures to warn consumers of the existing hazards. Amazon, Kogan, and Fruugo have gone a step further, agreeing to offer full refunds to any Australian customers who have already purchased these banned products.

For consumers who currently own these magnet-containing toys, Lowe issued a clear urgent advisory: “We are urging consumers who have bought this type of product to stop using them immediately, keep them out of reach of children and contact the seller for a refund.”

Lowe emphasized that online marketplaces hold a core responsibility for keeping the domestic market safe. “Online marketplaces have a critical role in preventing listings of unsafe or banned products. We are continuing to engage with online marketplaces to ensure affected customers are contacted and warned about the risks and that adequate steps are taken to prevent future listings of these products,” she added. The ACCC’s ongoing engagement with the platforms aims to close the regulatory gap that allowed banned dangerous products to remain accessible to Australian families.