‘Under attack’ from fragrance, Hanoi prunes its famous blossoms
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Motorists drive along a street lined with milkwood trees in Hanoi on Oct 15.
PHOTO: AFP
- Hanoi began pruning up to 1,000 milkwood trees on 13 streets after residents complained the flowers’ smell was “overpowering” and harmed daily life.
- The trees, known as “hoa sua”, are a symbol of Hanoi and appear in songs and poems, but many locals said the fragrance caused headaches and breathing trouble.
- City authorities said the smell “negatively impacts the health and daily lives of residents” and will consider relocating some trees and replacing them with other greenery.
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HANOI – The star-shaped white blossoms of Hanoi’s milkwood trees have inspired songwriters and lovers, but the city authorities began cutting them back on Oct 16 after an outcry from residents over their “overpowering” fragrance.
The Vietnamese capital boasts more than 14,400 Alstonia scholaris, tall evergreens that shade the streets in summer and, in autumn, produce flowers that fill the air with a heady scent.
For many residents, it is too much.
“The smell is so overpowering that it becomes unpleasant, especially when the weather is hot,” said Hanoi resident Tran Trung Phong.
The 56-year-old added that he keeps his doors and windows shut and suffers from headaches and breathing difficulties as his four-storey home comes “under direct attack” from dozens of trees nearby.
“If it were up to me, I would replace them all,” he said.
His complaint is similar to those made across social media networks and reported in state-run media in recent days, prompting the Hanoi authorities to bring out the chainsaws.
On Oct 16, they began a drive to prune up to 1,000 trees along 13 streets with the aim of reducing their intense fragrance.
The trees are common across much of Asia.
In Vietnam, where they are known as “hoa sua”, they are evoked in nostalgic or romantic songs and poems about Hanoi.
But a poll conducted by state-controlled online newspaper VNExpress found 80% of respondents supported removing or relocating the trees.
“Only those who don’t live near these trees find them romantic with a pleasant fragrance,” wrote Thanh Luong on Facebook.
She said her bedroom is located about 100m away from two trees, adding: “It’s torture.”
The evergreens, which reach more than 10m tall, are synonymous with Hanoi – so much so that they have been planted in central and southern Vietnam as a way to import some of the capital’s charm.
For local resident Lan Huong, they are key to the city’s identity, and also provide a welcome flash of nature in polluted streets.
“Hoa sua is the signature for Hanoi. Everyone knows and accepts that as a fact,” she said.
“Isn’t breathing in the scent of flowers far more pleasant than inhaling smoke from bikes and cars?”
In a statement on Oct 15, city authorities said the smell “negatively impacts the health and daily lives of residents”.
They said they will consider if they can “relocate some of these trees to more suitable locations and replace them with other types of greenery”.
In 2019, around 100 hoa sua trees were relocated to the city’s outskirts.
But a similar plan in 2023 to move 80 trees from a main street failed due to objections from locals, state media reported.
“I feel sorry... for hoa sua being denounced at this autumn trial,” wrote Loi Phan Mai in a Facebook post that drew thousands of positive reactions.
“It is easy to cut down a tree, but how does one go about cutting down a memory... How could a hoa sua tree possibly be guilty?” AFP