Proactively trim trees and prepare for storms.

Proactive action from the people and local authorities.

Each rainy and stormy season brings with it lessons on the management, care, and safety of urban green spaces. 2025 was particularly noteworthy, marked by several consecutive strong storms, especially Typhoon No. 5 and Typhoon No. 10, which caused significant damage to trees in the former Vinh City area.

At that time, tens of thousands of trees in Vinh city were broken or felled, concentrated on Quang Trung, Nguyen Du, Le Duan, Le Mao, Nguyen Van Cu, and Phong Dinh Cang streets… Many trees were uprooted, with large branches breaking and falling onto the roads and sidewalks, causing traffic congestion and disruption, even crushing vehicles and houses and interrupting the power system.

This reality necessitates a strong shift from passive response to proactive prevention. Instead of waiting until a storm hits to deal with dangerous trees, localities are organizing inspections, pruning, and reducing the height of trees with large canopies, dry or weak branches, or those posing a safety risk.

Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, from Vinh Phu ward, shared: "My house has many trees in front of the gate. If we don't deal with them early, during heavy rain and strong winds, the branches could easily break, or even fall onto the road, posing a danger to people and vehicles. Therefore, my family proactively took action to both protect our house and ensure general safety."

In Truong Vinh ward, which has a large system of green spaces, residents are also proactively implementing preventive measures in anticipation of complex weather developments.

Mr. Dinh Van Long, who lives on Nguyen Viet Xuan Street, said that the surrounding households are all taking advantage of the opportunity to trim branches that are at risk of breaking or falling. For families with elderly people, this task is mainly done with the help of young men in the residential area.

Not only individual households, but also agencies, units, and organizations in the area are required to enhance their responsibility in inspecting and handling trees within their premises and managed areas.

At the Ho Chi Minh Square and Monument Management Board, the area is surrounded by a large system of trees, especially in the area behind the Quyet intersection.

This is a large public space with many mature trees and large canopies. In anticipation of extreme weather conditions, the unit has proactively inspected and reinforced branches that pose a safety risk, thereby contributing to the preservation of the landscape and ensuring the safety of people visiting the area.

On August 19, 2026, the People's Committee of Truong Vinh Ward issued Notice No. 555/TB-UBND on the implementation of measures to respond to heavy rain, floods, inundation, flash floods, and landslides.

In this context, tree trimming and pruning has been identified as a key task. The People's Committee of the ward has requested the Steering Committees of all blocks, agencies, units, and cooperatives in the area to organize clean-up campaigns, trim trees, and dredge and clear drainage ditches, catch basins, and drainage canals.

At the same time, units must proactively prepare plans, materials, equipment, machinery, and personnel according to the "four on-the-spot" principle.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Phong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Truong Vinh Ward, said: The pruning and handling of trees is identified by the local authorities as one of the important tasks to proactively prevent and mitigate damage from storms and heavy rain.

Trees that pose a safety risk need to be inspected and dealt with promptly, especially in densely populated areas, transportation routes, riverside and mountainside areas, and places with a high density of trees.

Following the direction of the Ward People's Committee, Vinh Urban Infrastructure and Development Management Joint Stock Company and Vinh City Green Parks Joint Stock Company are requested to urgently carry out the tasks under the public service contract, including completing the pruning of trees in key areas such as Nguyen Tat Thanh Park, Quyet Mountain, and the temple of Emperor Quang Trung...

Accelerate progress, reduce risks early.

While in previous years, the plan for regular tree trimming in the old Vinh city area typically involved around 3,000 trees per year, this year the workload has increased to over 6,000 trees.

This figure demonstrates the level of proactiveness and decisiveness in preventative measures following the extensive damage caused by storms and floods in 2025.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Director of Vinh Green Park Joint Stock Company, said: "Currently, the company is focusing its manpower and equipment to speed up the tree pruning process. Compared to the annual plan, the workload this year has doubled. The trees are being treated to reduce their height, lessen their canopy, and remove old, dry, or potentially falling branches, thereby reducing wind resistance during storms."

“After the extensive damage to trees during the storms in 2025, this year we have to implement the project earlier, faster, and more proactively. The workload has increased significantly compared to previous years, so coordination and cooperation from localities and the people are essential,” Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung emphasized.

According to the plan, Vinh Green Park Joint Stock Company aims to complete the pruning of over 6,000 trees by September 2026. Of these, more than 1,000 trees are located on small roads and alleys under the management of wards and communes; the remainder are concentrated on major roads managed by the province. The company has signed agreements with wards, communes, and the Department of Construction to implement the pruning work in specific areas and along specific roads.

To handle the large workload, the current pruning team consists of approximately 20 workers, along with 10 vehicles and various types of machinery. After the trees are pruned, about 30-40 people are mobilized to remove branches and leaves, transport them, and clean up the area. The work is carried out in sections, prioritizing densely populated streets, busy areas, school zones, critical roads, riverside areas, and areas where sidewalk renovations or underground infrastructure are underway that could affect the stability of the trees.

With tens of thousands of trees of various types in the former Vinh city area, ensuring the safety of the entire tree system is a huge undertaking. Given limited resources, in addition to the efforts of professional forces, the coordination of local authorities and the people is of decisive importance.

According to recommendations, people should proactively identify trees showing signs of leaning, rotting roots, dry branches, excessively wide canopies, or those located too close to houses or power lines, and report them to the authorities. Agencies, schools, businesses, and land management units should also regularly inspect the trees under their management, and not wait until storms or heavy rains to take action.

In the long term, the urban green space problem is not just about pruning before the rainy season. The significant damage in 2025 shows the need for a comprehensive green space management strategy, adapted to increasingly extreme weather conditions.

In urban planning and tree planting, localities need to research and select tree species suitable for the climate and soil, with strong root systems and good resistance to wind and storms, while also ensuring urban landscape requirements. Along with this, a process of planting, caring for, shaping, and pruning regularly is necessary, instead of only addressing the issue when the tree already poses a risk…