Tree-Felling Fiasco: Symptom of a Deep-Rooted Problem

Hundreds of old trees were cut down in Hanoi, instantly destroying the capital’s beauty, character and sense of continuity. Vietnamese immediately turned online to express shock and outrage. More than 6,700 trees on 200 streets, many a legacy of the French colonial period, were slated for cutting to make way for new infrastructure projects. Without consulting residents, the government set out on a “landscaping project that would replace the old and rotten trees with other trees or plants deemed ‘more suitable,’” reports Thu Huong Le for Viet Nam News Service. “People could not believe that at least 500 trees had already been chopped down without a single attempt to seek opinions from citizens or experts, and without sound explanations from authorities.” Citizens demanded opportunity to review the project, supporting maintenance and preservation of trees, pointing to the health of individual trees and questioning who benefits from selling of the wood. Caught off-guard, government officials tried to suggest they were too busy for a public review and that citizens supported the project. The government has delayed the tree-cutting plans, but not yet apologized. – YaleGlobal