Children in Sa Pa Were Pushed to the Street to Sell Goods in the Cold Rain under 1 Celsius Degree.

 

A church under a cold rain. Credit: Online Tuoi Tre

Many children in Sapa still have to wear raincoats to sell goods. Despite the cold weather, sometimes the outdoor temperature in Sa Pa town (Lao Cai province) is only 1 degree Celsius.

 

A child is selling goods. Credit: Online Tuoi Tre

 

Over the past two days, Sapa welcomed more than 12,000 tourists. Buses constantly ran around the stone church area in Sapa town. Loudspeakers called for tourists not to give money to or buy goods from street children vendors.

"Children, your relatives are taking advantage of and are exploiting your labour to earn money, creating a bad image over the Sapa at tourists' hearts." Therefore, the administration urged visitors not to buy goods or give money. The refusal would stop the children's exploitation. They returned to their families to have fun and study; if tourists continued to provide cash or buy goods, this kindness would unintentionally set children in exploited cases: their relatives still forced them to wander around to ask for money. 

Although the loudspeakers kept working, the children were still clinging and enticing tourists to buy goods. The Sa Pa town government used loudspeakers to urge tourists not to give money or buy goods from street vendors in over a year; many people no longer allowed their children to go out to sell. 

However, there is still a group enticing tourists in the area of ​​the stone church, the courtyard, and Xuan Vien street. These children are under the control of their mothers, who sit in a hiding place to watch them.

Credit: Online Tuoi Tre's photo

Ms Hoang Thi Linh in Hanoi felt very pitiful for children selling in cold rains under one or two Celsius degrees. "In the past, I used to buy goods and give money, but soon after, many children circled me. Since then I haven't bought their goods anymore. I hope this situation will end so that tourists feel comfortable to visit the Sapa and the children can have fun at their home and study at school." 

Ms Hoang Thi Vuong - Head of Information and Culture Department of Sa Pa town - said that although the locality has propagated a lot, mothers still deliberately push their children into the street to sell goods, wandering, enticing tourists.

Credit: Online Tuoi Tre

"This is a form of livelihood for adults. They take advantage of children to take advantage of tourists' pity, buying goods or giving alms. This causes them not to enjoy their childhood and have a good learning environment," said Ms. Vuong. 

In addition, the children are not in the age group to be vaccinated against COVID-19. They come into contact with many people every day and get infectious. The administration has requested tourists's support by not buying children's goods.