Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute to add waste collection, surveillance cameras to protect surrounding pavements

A representative of the Department of Economy, Infrastructure & Urban Affairs of Xuan Hoa Ward told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday that the ward would work with the Pasteur Institute to tighten measures against littering around the site.

The plan includes installing surveillance cameras and imposing administrative fines on violators.

Alongside, the ward will deploy staff to collect and remove rubbish accumulating along the pavements surrounding the institute to restore a cleaner environment.

Regarding the large commercial billboards and pillars set on the pavements that affect the space and safety of the 134-year-old heritage site, the representative said these structures fall under the management of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction.

According to document No. 2403 issued by the department, the LED billboard at the corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Vo Thi Sau Streets in Xuan Hoa Ward has been granted a construction permit valid until December 25, 2025.

After receiving the construction site, the contractor is required to ensure traffic safety and comply with inspections by road management units and other competent authorities.

Earlier, on November 21, Tuoi Tre observed that large commercial billboards around the Pasteur Institute, including along Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Tran Quoc Toan, Vo Thi Sau and Pasteur Streets, were partly blocking the institute’s upper façade.

Some advertisements also overlapped with fields managed by the institute, such as food and medical equipment.

Besides, large advertising pillars were encroaching on pedestrian space, alongside widespread litter, foul odours, and what the institute described as risks to biosafety that could affect research, vaccination work, and medical services.

Notably, at the Vo Thi Sau-Nam Ky Khoi Nghia intersection, an advertising firm had fenced off areas to build two new billboard foundation pits adjacent to the institute’s perimeter wall.

Observations showed the pits had been dug directly into underground water pipes, electrical cables, and fibre-optic lines.

Dr. Dinh Xuan Thanh, deputy director of the institute, stated that the activities violated the Law on Cultural Heritage, the Law on Advertising, the Law on Traffic Safety, and the Law on Fire Prevention and Rescue.

They also hindered public communication efforts on disease prevention.

In response, the institute has called on authorities to review billboard placement plans, promptly stop violations, and restore the urban landscape, sightlines, and architectural heritage value of the site.

It has reported the situation to the ward police and submitted a written request to the Xuan Hoa Ward People’s Committee for action within its jurisdiction.