Many streets in Ho Chi Minh City have tangled bunches of electric and cable wires, posing threat to city residents.

Hanging webs of wires

The southern region is now in the rainy season, a time when electricity safety is of particular concern. However, many streets are home to tangled webs of wires. Despite annual plans to tidy up the network of electric wires strewn on poles, the city has largely failed to do this.

According to the municipal Department of Information and Communications, more than 20 companies in the city are licensed to build telecom network and Internet infrastructure. They are sharing 211,860 electric poles via contracts signed with the city. But the poles are insufficient to carry all the extra cables.

On the afternoon of August 15 a wire fell due to heavy rain along Dinh Bo Linh Street, nearly hitting the ground and disrupting power to many shops and homes on the street.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, this year, the city will rearrange the telecom cable network on 446 sections of road, covering a total 600 km, and 26,778 electric poles. The city also plans to put telecom cables underground to ensure the safety.

This plan, however, is facing difficulties due to its complexity, a shortage of funds and lax cooperation between the companies and local authorities.

Some photos of the the tangled mess of wires, taken on the afternoon of August 15.

Different types of cables

Overloaded electric pole

Wires bunched like rope

Blocking traffic

The central area of District 1