Landscaping Plants Die and Turn Red at Hiền Lương-Bến Hải Relic Site

Rows of dried-out trees now mark parts of the Hiền Lương-Bến Hải historical relic site in Quảng Trị, where landscaping plants intended to improve the visitor experience have failed to thrive.

Coconut palms stand with sparse, damaged crowns. Some trunks have dried out, and broken tops lie at their bases. Near the joint house, the problem is even more visible: only about five or six of the 21 pine trees remain alive. Several apricot trees have also lost or curled their leaves, while other ornamental plants have become bare.

Ngô Văn Minh, deputy head of the management board for the special national historical relic, said the trees were planted during the 2025 rainy season and had not yet been handed over to the board. The first signs of decline appeared around April and May 2026. The board repeatedly contacted the project owner, asking the contractor to replace the trees or increase care for those that could still survive.

Care was not maintained regularly during the peak heat. Some coconut palms on the southern bank were replaced, but further deaths followed. Staff members have tried to save the apricot trees, and some are beginning to recover. Minh said the dead plants have significantly harmed the site’s appearance, adding, "Better to have none than to have dead trees that damage the landscape." Visitors have also complained, he said.

Trương Hữu Hiếu, deputy director of the project management board responsible for the construction works, said the contractor had recorded the damage, ordered replacement trees and expected to replant them the following week. He said the project required a three-year warranty for the landscaping because the plants needed time to adapt.

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Better to have none than to have dead trees that damage the landscape.