The pavement on Hanoi's Le Phung Hieu Street is being leased out to a coffee shop.
The check followed proposals from 17 districts and towns, which showed that more than 90 percent of those streets are home to restaurants and shops, and 94 percent are being illegally encroached upon.
According to the department, roads used for commercial purposes should have a minimum pavement width of three metres, while rented pavement must ensure at least 1.50 metres of space for pedestrians.
The rent to hire each square metre of pavement and road ranges between VND20,000 and 40,000 per square metre per month, depending on the area.
Since 2021, Hoan Kiem has been the only district in the capital to rent roadbeds and pavements for businesses.
Locations for rent, mainly coffee shops, refreshments, and restaurants, are on Ly Thuong Kiet, Le Phung Hieu, and Ngo Quyen streets. The rental fee is VND45,000 (USD1.76) per square metre per month, and the licence period for temporary use of the street is six months.
Meanwhile, HCM City has leased pavements on 52 local streets in District 1.