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Downtown Ho Chi Minh City sees trees stripped bare

Downtown Ho Chi Minh City sees trees stripped bare

Sunday, September 29, 2024, 19:04 GMT+7
Downtown Ho Chi Minh City sees trees stripped bare
A tree at the Nguyen Dinh Chieu - Dinh Tien Hoang intersection in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City has been stripped bare. Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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.

A tree with limbs trimmed severely

 A tree with severely trimmed limbs

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."

Leaves have been budding on some trees along Le Quy Don Street after 25 days of tree trimming

Leaves have been budding on some trees along Le Quy Don Street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City after 25 days of tree trimming.

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.

A photo of a tree in downtown Ho Chi Minh City pruned

A photo of a pruned tree in downtown Ho Chi Minh City

Some decades-old trees cut down on Le Quy Don Street, Ho Chi Minh City

Several decades-old trees have been cut down on Le Quy Don Street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

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Tieu Bac - Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre News

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