Many ancient mahogany trees in Lang Street in Hanoi have had their bark stripped by vandals who are said to use this as a remedy for pruritus treatment.

Many passers are very surprised to see the problem around dozens of mahogany trees on Lang Street. Each tree has a 2cm 30x40-cm rectangle cut into its bark.    

A representative from Hanoi Green Trees-Park Limited Company said the company had known about the problem since December 2016 when around 10 trees faced the problem, but the number has reached around 40 trees. The company will co-operate with local authorities to deal with situation, he added.

Some residents who live on Lang Street believe that some people take the tree bark for pruritus treatment, but they do not intend to destroy the trees.   

Professor Tran Van Mai, who is former lecturer at Vietnam Forestry University and has 50-year experience in researching different kinds of trees, said that the cut on the trees on Lang Street is small, so won’t affect the tree’s life. However, something should be done with the cuts to protect the trees from being spoilt by water absorption and mould.   

Mahogany trees in Hanoi have bark stripped 

Cuts on many mahogany trees in Lang Street

Dtinews