Multiple trees in District 1 and District 3, Ho Chi Minh City have been stripped bare, with just their trunks left, causing many commuters to feel pity.

Those trees along Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street had their limbs trimmed severely.

Dozens of employees at Ho Chi Minh City Greenery Parks Company gathered at Nguyen Dinh Chieu - Pasteur Intersection around noon on Sunday to prune the trees there.

Most of these trees are some 30 meters tall and nearly 0.5 meters in diameter.

An employee said that the tree trimming was aimed at preventing them from falling, especially in this rainy and windy season.

Only flawed trees have been thinned out, the employee said.

Readers have expressed concerns to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, acknowledging the need for tree trimming but criticizing the practice of stripping the trees completely bare.

Some 15 - 25 days ago, several areas in the heart of the southern metropolis saw many trees either pruned or cut down.

So far, only a few trees have begun sprouting new leaves, and it will take considerable time for their canopies to fully recover.

"Green trees not only provide shade for residents during the scorching heatwaves in Ho Chi Minh City but are also tied to deep cultural values," said Nguyen Duc Phi, a 68-year-old resident of District 3, with a sense of regret.

“Centuries-old trees act as witnesses to history.

"Several trees that had their limbs trimmed have failed to regrow their canopies."

As per the city’s plan and regulations, trees showing signs of rotting and threatening locals, or being unable to create shade shall be trimmed or cut down, according to the municipal Department of Construction. 

In early September, powerful winds brought down a branch of a tree on An Duong Vuong Street in District 5. The falling branch hit a 52-year-old woman who was riding a motorcycle.

She was hospitalized for emergency treatment, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Similarly, a big branch of a tree fell at Tao Dan Park in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on August 9, leaving two people dead and three others injured.

The municipal department reported that it had instructed relevant units to improve tree care and inspections to minimize damage from falling trees.

The Technical Infrastructure Management Center of Ho Chi Minh City is currently reviewing large trees throughout the city.

From January to July, more than 2,400 unsafe or potentially hazardous trees were cut down, and approximately 150,000 trees were thinned out.

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