Five-star toilets in HCMC

HO CHI MINH CITY Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport has called for investors to support a project to add more than 100 toilets of a “four to five-star” standard based on a positive response from local residents and visitors after 10 free luxury public toilets were installed last year.
Local media quoted a department source saying they received the go-ahead from the municipal administration to set up the toilets at public places including parks and bus stations across the city’s 24 districts.
The toilets will be paid for by private funds and provide hygiene standards on par with those at luxury hotels.
inside no 2In 2013, the first 10 public toilets opened at various locations visited by both local and overseas tourists.
Sacombank sponsored the construction of the first 10 toilets in the city’s downtown areas. The bank is also funding servicing and staff costs.
Each toilet of 60 sqm costs USD37,600 to USD47,000 and is paired with an ATM.
They are open from 0500 to 2200 daily.
In the long-run, HCMC will need around 1,000 public toilets, including several hundred in the downtown districts alone, according to the department’s projection.
Most of the public toilets in HCMC are mobile versions that are much smaller than the super luxury version and are often very smelly. Users have to pay 20 US cents for up-keep.

sourced:ttrweekly.com