Hanoi takes action to improve public toilet  

The Hanoi Times — The Dong Da District People's Committee will work with Hanoi Thien Y Environmental JSC to find a site to build a toilet model that is modern, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly.

Based on the results of this initiative, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment will plan its replication in other districts and towns.

The move, announced by the Office of the Hanoi People's Committee last week, is part of an order by Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, to improve environmental hygiene in four inner-city districts and find locations for public toilets.

It comes in response to the deteriorating conditions of many public toilets in Hanoi's central districts, which have damaged the capital's reputation as a green, clean, and beautiful city.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment will therefore issue guidelines for Hanoi Urban Environment Company (Urenco) and Hanoi Thien Y Environmental JSC to start using modern machinery for environmental sanitation from March 2025.

Accordingly, a pilot project with high requirements on environmental sanitation and modern equipment will be soon launched in the central city. 

In addition, relevant units will propose enhanced criteria for the selection of environmental clean-up contractors, setting environmental sanitation standards for localities citywide then report the municipal People's Committee by May.

From next month, local authorities will manage public toilets from related agencies. After that, local governments will develop plans to upgrade and build new public toilets to ensure they meet standards for residents and tourists.

In addition, the city is encouraging the owners of restaurants, hotels, and shopping centers in the area to open their restrooms to the public at no charge.

Currently, Hanoi has 351 public toilets, including 176 brick toilets and 91 steel toilets.