Hanoi seeks feedback on set of local etiquette

According to To Van Dong, Director of the Department, code drafters will be receptive to “sensible ideas” and opinions of the public in revising the code before it is issued.

The Code of Conduct, which would apply to all citizens of the city, will likely coincide with the issuance of another set of etiquette for its public servants, which has missed its original deadline of January 1 because its provisions are still under revision.

The Code of Conduct will cover speech, attitude, and behaviour expected of “all individuals who live, work, study, visit, and stay in Hanoi.”

The aim, officials have said, is to ensure that the city lives up to its old reputation and tradition of a “refined and civilized capital city.”
The draft has 14 articles arranged in three chapters, enumerating numerous dos and don’ts in both common public settings (chapter II) and specific locations (chapter III).

Some examples of the general rules include requiring people to refrain from speaking loudly, swearing, engaging in or inciting violence, urinating or defecating in public, littering and letting loose ‘dangerous’ pets in public spaces.

Residents and visitors will also have to follow public regulations, dress “appropriately” and “fittingly,” and show consideration for disadvantaged people.

Other variants of such stipulations will apply to certain locations like sidewalks, bus stations, squares and parks, and entertainment venues or religious establishments.

Individuals and organisations abiding by the regulations will be lauded and awarded, while those found flouting can be heavily fined and publicly condemned on mass media.

While drafting the code at the end of last year, the department had solicited public opinion on its website, but didn’t receive any response, Dong said.

“We had to assign district-level authorities to gather opinions from residents in their localities,” he added. 

Opinions can be submitted online at https://sovhtt.hanoi.gov.vn.