Man killed in HCMC after falling tree branch crushes motorbike during thunderstorm

A 59-year-old man was killed in Ho Chi Minh City when a large tree branch snapped during a thunderstorm and crushed the motorbike he was riding with his wife on Friday evening.

Le Van Dung and his wife, 57-year-old Duong Thi Thoan, were heading home from work along An Duong Vuong Street at around 6:30 p.m. when the tragedy struck. As they passed the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education in Cho Quan Ward, a massive tree branch broke in the strong winds and heavy rain, striking their vehicle and throwing them onto the road.

The fallen branch, measuring approximately 30 cm in diameter, brought down a canopy large enough to completely block one traffic lane.

The couple was transported to An Binh Hospital, about 1.2 km from the scene. Dung succumbed to his severe injuries shortly after arrival.

Rescuers and police are seen at the site where a motorcycle is crushed by a fallen tree branch during a thunderstorm in HCMC's Cho Quan Ward on the evening of Sept. 18, 2026. Photo by Minh Bang

Cho Quan Ward Chairman Nguyen Vo Xuan Ky confirmed that the wife sustained spinal trauma alongside multiple other injuries. She was later transferred to Cho Ray Hospital for treatment.

Local authorities have visited the hospital to offer support to her and her family, he said, adding that the ward will formally request the local tree management agency to urgently inspect the area's canopy to prevent further tragedies.

Prior to the recent expansion of HCMC's administrative boundaries to include Binh Duong and Vung Tau, official statistics recorded more than 200,000 trees lining over 1,200 city roads. Roughly 7,600 of these trees stand 20 to 50 meters tall, primarily concentrated in central districts. Many are decades-old dipterocarp and Hopea trees, distinguished by their large trunks and heavy branches, which pose a significant risk of breaking or uprooting during severe weather.

An Duong Vuong Street is heavily shaded by these towering old-growth dipterocarps, known for their straight trunks and dense, year-round green foliage. However, the thoroughfare has a deadly track record regarding falling debris.

In September 2024, a 20-cm-thick dipterocarp branch fell from nearly 20 m near the same university, killing a 52-year-old woman.

Eight years earlier, in 2016, a dipterocarp measuring over 30 m tall and a meter in diameter was uprooted during heavy rain on the street, crushing a 25-year-old man who later died from his injuries.