Dozens of bougainvillea trees had their trunks cut off.

Da Nang On Nguyen Tat Thanh coastal road, dozens of bougainvillea trees with diameters of 15-20 cm were stolen by thieves, who took away about 2 meters of the tree trunks.

On October 23, the Danang Parks and Trees Company sent staff to inspect two bougainvillea trees at the end of Nguyen Tat Thanh Street (Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District) that had just been stolen by thieves. The two trees were 15-20 cm in diameter, about 3 m high, clinging to a concrete frame at a rest stop on the coastal road connecting the city center with Hai Van Pass.

Bougainvillea tree with 2m long stem cut off. Photo: Nguyen Dong

One kilometer from Nam O fishing village towards the city center, a bougainvillea tree about 20 centimeters in diameter was also cut in half by thieves using a saw. The stolen trunk was 2 meters long. The upper canopy had dried up.

"Thieving people took advantage of the heavy rain in recent days, the area was deserted, and there were no surveillance cameras to cut down the trees. Even when we planted new bougainvillea trees, they were stolen," said Ms. Van, an employee of the Danang Parks and Trees Company.

According to statistics, on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, there are about 15 stops where concrete pillars are erected and bougainvillea is planted for decoration, each place has 1-2 trees. Of these, about 7 places at the end of the street have had their trees stolen.

The stolen tree trunk has a diameter of 15-20 cm. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Mr. Le Huy Hoang, Head of Technical Department, Da Nang Parks and Trees Company, said that the theft of bougainvillea tree trunks on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street had occurred 3 years ago. The company reported to the police and requested camera footage of some of the stolen locations. This situation then decreased but has recently recurred.

The large bougainvillea trees along Nguyen Tat Thanh Street have purple flowers and have been planted for about 10 years. Affected by the sea breeze, the trees grow slowly but their trunks are rough and have beautiful lumps. "It is very possible that thieves sawed off the tree trunks to stimulate roots and replant them. The bougainvillea trunks are as big as the trees that were just stolen. When they have new foliage, they can be sold for more than 10 million VND," said Mr. Hoang.

According to Mr. Hoang, the company will continue to request local authorities and police to intervene. With the flower roots that have just been stolen, if after a period of time the plants sprout, they will be nurtured to grow again, if they die, they will be replaced.

Clause 3, Article 54 of Decree 16/2022 on administrative penalties for construction violations stipulates that anyone who arbitrarily cuts down urban trees will be fined 30-50 million VND.

Nguyen Dong

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