Municipal authorities have cleared more than 1,500km out of the planned 2,200km of dangerously low-hanging electric cable in the capital.

The effort is part of the initiative, Year of Orderly and Civilized Urban Space, started by the Hanoi People's Committee. Vietnam Electricity in Hanoi (EVN) cooperated with agencies to take down a number of unsightly and useless cable.

All visitors and residents of Hanoi are familiar with the tangles of wires strewn above the streets. Much of the cable is old and poses a danger. 

Moreover, some locals complained that meter boxes are placed too low. On Hao Nam and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets, vendors even use these these boxes as their own tables.

The cleaning will be carried out on a total of 88 streets and will be finished by the end of the year. Nguyen Manh Tuan, head of the Department of Science and Environment in EVN Hanoi, said local authorities would provide aid by helping erect new power poles and replacing old ones.

Currently, they have 33 out of the planned 58 poles have been erected.