After over three days, the 500-metre stretch of the canal, previously filled with foul-smelling waste, has been cleaned up.

61-year-old Huynh Van Canh, an environmental worker, said he had gone into the canal to gather the waste. He said washing out the bad odour from his skin was difficult.

A resident, Nguyen Thi Thuan, said the section had been choked by waste and water hyacinth for about half a year because the downstream area was blocked for upgrading work on the Tham Luong - Ben Cat - Rach Nuoc Len Canal.

"Rampant illegal dumping worsened the problems," she said. "This section is the end of the canal. A lot of waste keeps piling up here, and it's worsening."

Another local man, Nguyen Van Mai, said the canal was renovated two years ago when it was free of waste and only had some water hyacinth. However, all kinds of rubbish had been thrown into it again, including various large items like foam boxes, tarpaulin and mattresses which had formed thick clumps that could not float away. Dead animals were also left here, causing a horrific odour.

"Now that the canal has been cleaned again, I think the local authorities need to take stricter measures to prevent illegal dumping," Mai said.