Faced with the complicated developments of the peak dry season in the South, Ho Chi Minh City is putting forest protection and forest fire prevention and fighting (PCCCR) in the highest vigilance to minimize damage to resources and the environment.
According to the assessment of Mr. Lam Tung Que, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department, although the current forest fire warning level mainly ranges from level 2 to level 3, the actual situation is potentially risky due to dense vegetation accumulation. Just a small mistake in daily life, production or pilgrimage tourism activities can lead to unpredictable damage.
Recorded in the Dinh mountain area of Phu My ward, this area is identified as having a very high fire risk due to the characteristics of hilly and steep terrain, complexity and many pagodas and shrines scattered under the thick forest canopy. In the dry season, the number of tourists flocking to visit and pilgrimage increases sharply, further increasing pressure on functional forces.
Representatives of Phu My Forest Protection Department under the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department said that patrol work is being carried out continuously throughout the day to promptly control the situation. A similar high level of vigilance is also being maintained in the Minh Dam mountain area of Phuoc Hai commune, which has an area of more than 2,100 hectares of forest, mainly grass and shrubs, which are very flammable and difficult to control when incidents occur.
To improve the effectiveness of monitoring, the forest ranger force has closely coordinated with forest owners units to apply flycams to remotely check high-risk points, allowing access and immediate handling when detecting signs of small smoke.
In the Cau mountain protection forest in Dau Tieng commune, a key area with more than 3,600 hectares of forest and a major spiritual tourist destination, the Forest Management Board and local authorities such as Dau Tieng and Minh Thanh communes have developed detailed operational plans from the beginning of the dry season.
Mr. Huynh Duc Hoan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Protection and Special-Use Forest Management Board, said that the unit has proactively implemented pre-combustion with control to reduce flammable materials, build firebreaks in key areas and fill water reservoirs to be ready to respond when a fire occurs.
Faced with the risk of increased forest fires in the dry season of 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has issued document No. 1181/UBND-ĐT to strengthen measures to protect forests and PCCCR, minimizing damage caused by deforestation and forest fires. Accordingly, departments, branches and localities need to raise vigilance and focus all resources, not to let forest fires occur in the area. In particular, the Chairmen of People's Committees at all levels are responsible if forest fires and deforestation occur within their management scope.
Recently, during a field survey in area III in Binh Duong province, Mr. Bui Minh Thanh, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to direct affiliated units to arrange 24/24 hour duty forces and always be in combat readiness.
He emphasized that the city's forest protection sector needs to further promote the application of science and technology to be proactive in the face of unusual changes in natural disasters as well as factors impacted by humans.
