ABSTRACT
This chapter puts forward the argument that informality is a dynamic as well as a contested process. To clarify this argument it begins with a diachronic perspective on urban informality, which is followed by a discussion of the latest legislation on the prohibition of street trade in Hanoi. However, even traditional permanent markets like the Cho Cua Nam and Cho 19-12 in Hanoi have recently been demolished in order to make room for modern super markets. The picture of mobile vendors running away from the police with their baskets full of fruits can be frequently encountered in Hanoi. Hanoi was the official venue of the United Nations Day of VESAK celebrating Buddha's birthday. The management of pavements and street hawkers had become a hot' topic in the city of Hanoi. In the internet forum of Ha Noi MoiNewspaper, residents of Hanoi openly blame street peddlers for bringing the image of the countryside back into the city.
