Bread! Bread! Hot sweet bread! Hot dry pork
bread! Hot Bayon Bread,” the microphone blasts out every morning from the
vendor-on-wheels.
Some
vendors drive motos while others ride their bikes through nearly every small
bumpy road in the capital city of Phnom Penh with their microphone, perhaps as
a form of entertainment to attract attention, all the while ignoring the
disruption their noise can have on residents.
The
modern world is developing at a fast pace, and business owners are having to
find new and creative ways to beat competition.
Vendors who sell items such as porridge, ice-cream, coconut and even
soft drinks have changed their advertising strategies from yelling to using a
tape recorder. Mr Tok Borey, who has worked as an egg seller for more than
three years, said the reason why he decided to use a tape was because he wanted
to gain more customers.
But,
most of them would just stay at home.
Borey
found a voice recorder and microphone for a good price at the markets, and
didn’t hesitate to buy it so he could keep from straining his voice.
Some
Cambodian citisens may not notice or even care about the sound pollution that
happens every-day. In fact, sound pollution is considered to be detrimental to
people’s health.
According
to scientists, noise pollution can increase blood pressure and cause stress or
insomnia; some say it affects our hearing abilities.
Ms Pon
Elin is a third-year student at the International University, and said that she
does not approve of vendors using the loud noise to attract attention because
just the sound of cars is enough for her to feel stressed. She added that
sometimes the vendors have blasted their microphones infront of her home while
she and her family are taking a nap. She complained that the sound of the
speaker always wakes up her nephew, and they were finding it difficult to
sleep.
However,
Elin is not completely against these vendors, despite the anxiety.
“I
don’t want [the government] to ban their business because I know that it is
their duty to earn for their family. But, they need to think about other people
by turning down the volume.”
She
added that in her view, those who stay far away from the road will not come to
buy their products when they hear the loud sounds of street vendors, and that
their business strategy isn’t working.
“Portable
businesses or vendors with speakers are not allowed to do their business, the
municipal [government] had announced a long time ago, and commune chiefs or
village chiefs will take action on this issue,” a high-ranking source from the
Phnom Penh Municipal Government confirmed with LIFT reporters on March 16.
Mr Kong
Sophan, commune chief of Deam Kor Market District, said that he also does not
like the increase of the number of speakers used, because it is an
interruption. He added that the Phnom Penh Municipal Government has limited the
amount of vendors in order to improve the city’s environment, but despite that,
the vendors still exercise a unique – and plausible – advertising technique.
“Some
big firms or companies pay a fee in order to be able to advertise themselves
through a speaker. Other vendors just [stay in business] through word-of-mouth
as they can’t afford the fee. I don’t see any problem with that if they keep
the city tidy,” he said.
As
Cambodia is a developing country, LIFT recommends that small businesses or
vendors along the road demonstrate concern for noise pollution and traffic
problems. Simply reducing the volume of announcements and finding more suitable
places to set up shop could make the Kingdom better for all.
Vannak
Oum and Guechly Heng
The
Phnom Penh Post
Business & Investment Opportunities
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