The strong, slightly pungent smell can be called fragrant at first glance. But when the flowers bloom, the concentrated smell combined with the calm autumn weather is a problem.
Hanoi is famous for its tree-lined streets. Among them, milk flower - a flower symbolizing Hanoi's autumn - is often chosen to be planted on many streets to bring its beauty and characteristic scent.
I once had a friend who had a house on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street who complained that every fall he just wanted to move to another place because of the smell of milk flowers.
“When the flowers bloom in unison, the strong scent affects the health and spirit of the surrounding households. My family and neighbors always have to close the windows to avoid the scent of the flowers wafting into the house,” he said. Some elderly people even get headaches and dizziness when exposed to the strong scent of milk flowers.
A few years ago, voters in Dong Da district (Hanoi) proposed moving some milk flower trees out of some streets to ensure health.
Respiratory experts say: Not only does it cause trouble with its scent, densely planted milk flowers also pose many potential risks to people's health. People exposed to the scent of milk flowers for a long time will have difficulty breathing, especially those with a history of respiratory diseases. People who are susceptible to allergies include people with allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and asthma.
It seems that the milk flower tree is getting more and more bad publicity.
In fact, the milk flower is being wrongly accused.The milk flower is not at fault, the fault lies with the planters and the tree planners.There was a time when the planting of milk flowers without control and scientific planning caused the situation to go beyond control.This is not only happening in Hanoi, in the past, in Tra Vinh there was a "suicide of milk flowers" because this flower was planted too much, affecting people's lives, causing environmental pollution, negatively impacting the living space, especially the health of the elderly and children.Many times the problem was brought to the authorities but not handled, the households filed a lawsuit against the urban sector of Tra Vinh province for planting trees that pollute the environment.In Da Nang City, there was a year when the authorities had to cut down more than 1,000 milk flower trees on Nguyen Van Linh Street.
Therefore, the issue of whether to completely remove the milk flower tree or continue to keep it is a controversial issue. While some people support the relocation for health reasons, many others want to keep this flower as a characteristic part of Hanoi. In addition, experts say that the solution should not stop at "planting - pulling out" but needs to be planned systematically and consider the types of trees suitable for each urban area.
The story of urban tree planting is not simply a matter of landscape but also related to the health and quality of life of the people. There needs to be a synchronous participation from the government and planners to find a harmonious solution, both preserving the cultural values and symbols of Hanoi, while ensuring that it does not cause concerns for the community.
