Ho Chi Minh City resident fined over $28, forced to clean up illegal trash dump

Ward police issued the fine against T.V.L. after catching him throwing household waste under the bridge on Wednesday morning.

Officers supervised him as he collected the trash, while security forces also helped remove older piles of garbage that had accumulated at the site.

The fine was imposed under Decree 282/2025, which sets penalties of VND500,000 ($19) to VND1 million ($38) for dumping trash or other objects in restricted areas.

Authorities said the Nam Ly Bridge connects Binh Trung and Phuoc Long Wards, and its underside has become a hidden spot where nearby residents often discard waste.

Police have stepped up patrols to catch violators and enforce penalties.

The clean-up followed public complaints about widespread garbage at the An Phu-An Khanh urban area, a billion-dollar development that has yet to be fully handed over after more than 20 years.

Binh Trung Ward officials on Wednesday said they had organized sanitation crews to clear waste from the area.

Ward leaders explained that before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday in mid-February, they had asked the project’s investor to temporarily transfer infrastructure management to the ward for maintenance and cleaning, but the process remains incomplete.

Officials said they continue to press the developer to hand over infrastructure and take responsibility for environmental hygiene.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) reporters observed that several previously littered areas in An Phu-An Khanh had been cleaned by ward workers on Wednesday afternoon.