A pedestrian zone, on trial in Saigon's District 10, has attracted large nocturnal crowds, with many visitors wearing face masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.  

The pedestrian zone near the statue of King Quang Trung, a national hero of the 18th century, has been open to tourists from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily since November 28. It would be the third pedestrian street in the city after Nguyen Hue and Bui Vien in District 1.

The walking street will be over 100 meters long, stretching from the Nguyen Lam - Ba Hat to Nguyen Lam - Nhat Tao junctions, including about 50 food and souvenir stalls along with cultural activities, street music performances and games.

The entrance gate is decorated with bright colored lights, with a fence limiting vehicle access.

All residents and visitors must wear face masks and have their body temperatures checked.

HCMC has passed five days without recording any new infections related to its four most recent community transmissions, triggered by a Vietnam Airlines flight attendant, "patient 1342", who violated his quarantine regulations and infected a teacher friend, who then spread the virus to at least two others.

The area surrounding the Quang Trung statue, center of the pedestrian street, is decorated with lights and Christmas trees.

The pedestrian zone also features a food court with 30 stalls, mainly selling drinks and fast food.

Tables and chairs are arranged at a distance of 1.5 meters to ensure safety amid the new Covid-19 situation.

Fast food, including fish balls and meat balls are sold at VND10,000 ($0.43) to VND50,000 a portion.

Ngo Diem Vy (R) enjoys night bite with her friend.

"This pedestrian zone is smaller than the one on Nguyen Hue Street but food stalls here are very diverse and there are no street vendors harassing customers," Vy said.

Customers queue up for soft drinks. No stalls are allowed to sell alcohol to avoid the risk of public disorder.

Khanh from District 10 and her children rummage through one of 20 stalls selling clothes, fashion accessories and souvenirs.

Large numbers of pedestrians gather to watch a weekend music performance.

The pedestrian street management said in the near future, it would arrange additional activities like calligraphy painting and toy figure molding.

Tran Van Tuan, deputy director of the Public Service Company of District 10, said in mid-December, the pedestrian street by the Quang Trung statue would officially enter operation.

The city currently has two walking streets, Nguyen Hue and Bui Vien, both in District 1. Since its opening in April 2015, Nguyen Hue has welcomed thousands of people every day while about 2 kilometers away, Bui Vien, hugely popular among both backpackers and locals, has welcomed several thousand visitors every weekend since August 2017.

Recently, authorities in District 3 also proposed to open two pedestrian streets in the Turtle Lake area and on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street.