On the morning of January 19, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Bui Minh Thanh, together with representatives of relevant departments, agencies and units, conducted an on-site inspection of a road subsidence incident on Ba Dinh Street in Chanh Hung Ward.
The canal-side road is located in a densely populated, high-traffic area, raising concerns about traffic safety and the livelihoods of residents.
During the inspection, a representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction stated that the department had conducted an initial survey and prepared a plan for a comprehensive assessment immediately following the incident.
Later the same day, water will be pumped out of the subsidence area to determine the cause, including possible leaks in underground pipelines, and to propose appropriate remedial measures.
Beyond immediate measures, the Municipal Department of Construction will coordinate with consulting units and relevant agencies to comprehensively review technical factors after the incident is remedied, ensuring safety and consistency with the area’s drainage system. At the same time, inspections will be conducted along the entire canal route to assess the risk of landslides and subsidence, and to propose fundamental, thorough solutions to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment noted that the incident directly affects many critical technical infrastructure systems and poses potential safety risks to surrounding households. It has been identified as a particularly dangerous incident requiring urgent handling.
Concluding the inspection, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Bui Minh Thanh stressed that this is a serious incident that must be addressed immediately to prevent it from spreading. The city leaders decided to apply the emergency mechanism under Decree No. 175/2024/ND-CP, instructing relevant agencies to propose solutions within the day for immediate implementation.
In the longer term, city leaders ordered a comprehensive route survey, emergency funding allocation, and close supervision to prevent further subsidence and ensure public safety.
Remedial work must be completed at all costs before the Lunar New Year to ensure residents’ livelihoods and the safety of urban infrastructure, Mr. Bui Minh Thanh ordered.
At noon on January 18, a section of Ba Dinh Street along the Tau Hu Canal, near Hung Phu Park in Chanh Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, suddenly suffered a serious subsidence incident, causing the road surface to split in two and collapse into the canal.
The sinkhole, covering more than ten square meters and about five meters deep, took up nearly half the width of the roadway, posing a danger to the surrounding residential area.
