The Thu Thiem New Urban Area on the other side of the Saigon River which faces downtown District 1, spans 930 ha and is home to around 200,000 people.

It is expected to be developed into the most modern area in Southeast Asia, but several issues have hampered implementation of this plan. Many projects still remain on paper.

Land plots near the Saigon River, where planned projects have yet to begin construction, have become places for people to hang out during the weekends.

Last Saturday, hundreds upon hundreds of people gathered near streets like To Huu, Tran Bach Dang or R12, parking their vehicles on streets and pavements.

Stalls have placed tables and chairs along the pavements, and the trash generated is dumped into the environment, with both customers and vendors not bothered about dirtying the area and making it ugly.

Tien, a guard, said that ever since the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge opened, nearby roads are packed with people and this has led to large amounts of trash being dumped into the environment.

Trash, a lot of it single use plastic, is to be found everywhere these days, including warning signs by construction sites.

A group of people go fishing in a pond, ignoring the trash piling up on its banks.

A man throws trash into the environment, unmindful that he is littering.

Most of the trash is plastic, and no one collects them. They are often dealt with by burning right where they are dumped.

Other waste like construction materials and rubble can also be found on roadsides.

Authorities have put up banners banning littering, with fines for violations.

Early last week, the Thu Thiem Ward People's Committee dispatched personnel to seize tables and chairs that encroached on the sidewalks.

Ward chairman Nguyen Van Kien said the area near the Thu Thiem 1 Bridge was under the management committee overseeing investment and construction of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area. As the land plot is yet to be handed over to the HCMC People's Committee, sanitation workers have not been deployed to the area yet, he explained.

Kien said local authorities have asked vendors to guarantee that they would no longer dump trash into the environment, but this has not proved effective. Authorities' efforts to collect the trash have also failed as it keeps piling up relentlessly, he added.

Kien said there was insufficient manpower to handle the tasks involved.

He also said there weren't specific areas where people are allowed or not allowed to fly kites, but those who do so in areas with high voltage electric lines would be fined for engaging in dangerous activity.

Thu Thiem is a peninsula formed by the Saigon River near downtown Ho Chi Minh City. People from Binh Thanh and District 1 can reach the place through the Thu Thiem 1 and 2 bridges, as well as the Saigon River Tunnel. Photo courtesy of Google Maps