At around 4:15 p.m., residents near Bui Huu Nghia Street in Gia Dinh Ward were startled by a loud crash that shook the surrounding area.

When they went outside to investigate, they found a massive piece of machinery from the Xuyen Tam Canal construction site had fallen into the street, blocking Bui Huu Nghia Street.

The front of the machine extended deep into an alley, while its steel structure came down across the sidewalk.

Tran Van Nam, a local resident, said he was still shaken by the incident.

"The impact was so strong that it shook the whole house. I ran outside and saw the machine lying across the road. Fortunately, nobody was passing by on a motorbike at the time. Otherwise, it could have been very dangerous," Nam said.

About 30 minutes after the incident, authorities and the contractor arrived, cordoned off the area and directed residents to alternative routes.

A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Projects Management Board, the project's investor, told VietNamNet that the equipment involved was a cement deep mixing (CDM) machine used for soil stabilization.

It was one of eight new machines recently brought to the site to accelerate construction.

The accident occurred while the machine was being assembled and before it had officially entered operation.

According to the preliminary assessment, a turntable shaft broke, causing the entire machine to topple onto the road.

The incident caused no injuries or damage to residents' property but disrupted traffic.

"We are coordinating with the authorities to urgently lift and move the machine back into the construction site. We expect to clear the scene before 6 p.m. so residents can travel safely," the investor's representative said.

The investor said it would conduct a serious review of the contractor and other parties involved to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

By 6:30 p.m., heavy equipment had been deployed to the scene to remove the fallen machinery.

The Xuyen Tam Canal dredging and environmental improvement project is one of Ho Chi Minh City's key infrastructure projects, aimed at tackling pollution and flooding in the area.