Delegates want to clarify the responsibilities of wards and communes after the fire that killed 4 people in Ho Chi Minh City.

On the afternoon of December 9, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council entered a discussion session in groups. Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Tu expressed that the recent fire that killed four people on Tran Hung Dao Street (Cau Ong Lanh Ward) was a very heartbreaking incident.

As a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council who has participated in many monitoring sessions, Ms. Tu said that although the city has issued many regulations related to tube houses, "tiger cage" houses, or strict requirements on signs and billboards, heartbreaking incidents still continue to occur.

After each incident, Ho Chi Minh City has launched a series of high-profile inspections of housing conditions. However, the reality shows that many "tiger cage" houses and signs blocking fire exits still exist.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Tu said it is necessary to tighten management of fire prevention and fighting work.

PHOTO: SY DONG

"So where were these illegal houses and signs in the previous inspections? Should we tighten management even more, or even assign specific targets to each locality?", Ms. Tu asked. Because, according to Ms. Tu, those illegal constructions did not suddenly appear overnight, but had existed for a long time.

The female delegate recommended that the responsibility of local authorities be clearly considered when violations exist, especially when heartbreaking incidents occur. Only when responsibility is specifically determined, management work will be more substantial and similar tragedies can be minimized.

A house fire broke out on Tran Hung Dao Street in the early morning of December 5, killing four people and injuring two others. The house has a reinforced concrete structure with a ground floor and three upper floors, with a total area of approximately 352 square meters. Each floor is 88 square meters.

The fire started in the kitchen area on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors. Authorities determined that the house structure had one escape route directly to the outside, and the front was equipped with a solid rolling door, making it difficult to demolish, access fire fighting and rescue.

At the group discussion session, delegates also raised a series of concerns about noise pollution, littering in public places, and the re-planning of schools after merging wards and communes.

The biggest obstacle is the fear of responsibility.

Delegate Le Minh Duc, Deputy Head of the Legal Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, assessed that, besides positive socio -economic results, in 2025 there are still some shortcomings and limitations that are hindering the city's development.

Specifically, the economy is growing below its potential and has missed many important targets. Social and urban infrastructure "owes" the people answers. People in the central area are frustrated because the targets for new housing construction area and waste treatment technology have not been met.

"We are still burying garbage, wasting resources and causing pollution, while the goal is waste-to-energy technology," Mr. Duc cited.

Delegate Le Minh Duc, Deputy Head of the Legal Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, said that the biggest bottleneck lies in the fear of responsibility of a number of officials and civil servants.

PHOTO: SY DONG

In particular, the German delegate assessed that the biggest "bottleneck" lies in the fear of responsibility of a number of officials and civil servants. This is the reason leading to slow disbursement of public investment and administrative procedures being blocked. "If this bottleneck is not resolved, all resolutions and specific mechanisms will remain on paper only," the Deputy Head of the Legal Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council frankly said.

Presenting solutions for 2026, Mr. Duc said that there needs to be a breakthrough solution in terms of institutions and people, and at the same time requested the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to urgently concretize and operate a mechanism to protect cadres who dare to think and dare to do in a practical way.

In terms of institutions, Ho Chi Minh City is considering immediately implementing the "local autonomy" model for its affiliated areas, increasing the local authority to decide on personnel, budget and planning to increase flexibility and quick response.

Regarding infrastructure, Mr. Duc suggested focusing all efforts on regional connectivity infrastructure to break the divide. Prioritizing closed capital sources for Ring Road 3, starting construction of Ring Road 4 and urban railway lines, speeding up investment procedures for Can Gio international transit port, converting labor-intensive industrial zones to ecological, high-tech industrial models; piloting the carbon credit market to anticipate the green economic trend.

Regarding social and environmental issues, delegates said it is necessary to prioritize the budget and clean land fund to invest in education and health care, reducing school overload in localities with high urbanization density.

Ho Chi Minh City should continue to implement the target of 300 classrooms/10,000 people, speed up the progress of waste-to-energy plants, and substantially implement the project of 1 million social housing units, focusing on accommodation for workers in industrial parks.