As Ho Chi Minh City becomes more congested on the ground, municipal authorities have been looking into air-based ambulances and emergency response systems in a bid to improve the city's disaster preparedness, reports VietnamNet.

Accordingly, buildings with over 20 floors may have to install an emergency helicopter landing pad on their roof to accommodate these air services in the future. Saigon currently has ten buildings equipped with a helipad.

Experts, however, have mixed feelings about the proposed requirement.

Nguyen Thien Tong, an associate professor of aviation engineering at a local university, told Tuoi Tre that the helicopters would be a cost-effective rescue option during fires. However, he also noted that existing buildings should be encouraged, but not forced, to implement the new safety rule.

Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son, on the other hand, deemed the scheme to be futile, as choppers can only evacuate a limited number of people on each flight.

Meanwhile Tran Trong Tuan, director of the city's Department of Construction, told the news source that emergency landing pads would be a convenient addition to hospitals, in addition to skyscrapers.

Ultimately, though, the main hindrance to Saigon’s future flat-top skyscrapers may boil down to bureaucratic red tape. Developers must first seek approval for a helipad from the Ministry of Defense in conjunction with the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Transportation, and municipal administration. Then, the detailed blueprints must be examined by the Chief of Staff of the People’s Army of Vietnam, who, after construction is finished, will also give the final say as to whether helicopters can land and take off from the building.

[Photo via Boston Magazine]

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