The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has just sent an urgent document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee regarding the situation of sidewalk renovation that has damaged the roots of a series of trees.
According to the Department of Transport, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and related departments and branches have issued many directives and guidelines to protect the tree system during the construction of infrastructure works. However, many investors have not yet seriously implemented the regulations.
The current common situation is motor vehicle construction, causing tree trunks to collide, tree roots to break or break completely. Some roads also have deep grounding around the base of the tree, causing the base to rise high, or allowing the tree's roots to be exposed for a long time but slowly re-establishing the foundation.
Currently, 58 roads in districts 1, 5, 6, 11, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Phu Nhuan, Binh Thanh, Go Vap and Cu Chi district are implementing sidewalk upgrades and affecting about 2,143 trees.
Faced with the above situation, the Center for Technical Infrastructure Management (under the Department of Transport) has requested tree service units to inspect and handle many trees.
90 trees have been forced to be cut down due to serious damage to the root system and the risk of falling. Including: 30 type 3 trees, 57 type 2 trees and 3 type 1 trees.
In addition, many other trees have also had their branches cut to make canopy, reducing the risk of accidents in bad weather conditions, especially in the upcoming rainy season. At the same time, continue to closely monitor the status of the remaining trees to promptly detect and handle potential risks.
In 2024 to the end of February 2025, the Department of Construction Inspectorate issued 10 decisions to impose administrative fines with a total amount of 385 million VND for violations.
In March 2025 alone, the Inspectorate of the Department of Construction coordinated to inspect the site and make a record of violations against the two construction units, as a basis for transferring to the Department of Construction for handling according to regulations.
To tighten management, the Department of Transport recommends that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assign this department to direct the Traffic Inspectorate to continue to closely coordinate with the Department of Construction Inspectorate to inspect and handle violations of tree protection regulations.
The Center for Technical Infrastructure Management strengthens the review and replacement of damaged trees, pruning branches, and ensuring the safety of trees on construction routes.
Assign the Department of Construction to direct the strict handling of cases of recidivism or failure to fully comply with penalty decisions.
Request the People's Committee of Thu Duc City and districts to organize regular supervision, promptly rectify and handle units that violate the construction process that affect trees.
For sidewalk renovation and improvement projects or other projects with a construction scope affecting the urban green tree system, investors and construction units are required to develop a construction plan to ensure the safety of the trees, send it to the specialized department for timely inspection, supervision and handling if they do not meet regulations.
Recently, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc requested the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tax and Investment to consider the responsibility of related units in the construction of sidewalks that damaged the root system of 17 Lam Scat trees in District 1. This incident caused 8 trees to be cut down and 9 others had their canopy cut down.
