A company that failed to clear iron hooks buried in sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City following a street decoration project, which led to an incident involving a foreign visitor last week, has agreed to apologize to and compensate the victim.

The U-shaped hooks had been half buried into the sidewalks in order to secure ropes used in several lighting installations across District 1, a project carried out by Vien Dong Co. Ltd.

With the project contractor failing to remove the obstacles after the completion of the lighting project, a foreign woman tripped over them earlier this month, causing her to fall to the pavement and severely injuring her face.

The accident was reported on Facebook by one eyewitness, prompting Doan Ngoc Hai, the deputy chairman of the District 1 administration, to request Vien Dong to offer the victim an apology and financial compensation.

At a meeting with Vien Dong on Sunday, the District 1 administration requested that the company send the victim a letter of apology plus US$1,000 in damages.

The tourist had recently returned to her home country following the April 4 accident near the Nam Ky Khoi Nghia-Le Loi intersection.

A group of tourists point to one U-shaped hook on the sdiewalk in this photo provided by police.

The U-shaped hooks were scattered on the street surface and were not really visible to pedestrians.

According to District 1 authorities, the tourist in question is not the only victim to the 'sidewalk traps.'

The series of events has left people wondering why local victims have not been treated in the same way, despite being injured in the same way as the foreigner.

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