Hanoi makes major strides in forest management in 2025
The city planted 611,460 trees of various types in 2025 alone, reinforcing Hanoi’s drive toward green and sustainable development.
THE HANOI TIMES — Hanoi recorded notable progress in forest management, protection and development in 2025, helping improve environmental quality and safeguard the capital’s ecological identity, according to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment.
Eco-tourism activities in Yen Xuan Commune, Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Anh/The Hanoi Times
According to the department, the city currently has about 18,342 hectares of forest land, including more than 7,593 hectares of natural forest, reported in 25 communes and wards in seven former districts and towns, including Soc Son, Ba Vi, My Duc, Thach That, Chuong My, Quoc Oai and Son Tay.
Forest coverage has remained stable at 5.52% in recent years, contributing to environmental protection, climate regulation, disaster prevention and biodiversity conservation in the capital.
Acknowledging the importance of forests, the Hanoi People’s Committee has prioritized investment and strengthened oversight of forest management, protection and development. In 2025, the city planted 611,460 trees of various types.
Forest fire prevention and control were implemented rigorously across districts and towns, now reorganized into 25 communes and wards. Hanoi also contracted meteorological forecasting services and issued regular fire warning bulletins, helping residents in forested areas respond proactively to risks.
All 11 forest fires recorded in 2025 were detected early and contained in time, thanks to close coordination among forest rangers, the military, fire prevention and fighting police and local authorities, with no major damage to forest resources.
Promoting community engagement
Forests play a critical role in protecting the ecological environment, retaining water, regulating and maintaining water flows and enhancing the landscape. They also make an important contribution to Hanoi’s orientation toward green and sustainable development.
Nguyen Xuan Dai, Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, stressed that protecting forests and maintaining stable forest coverage are identified by the agriculture sector as essential tasks for the capital’s overall development.
To translate this goal into action, the department recently established an inter-agency task force and directed local authorities to accelerate reviews of forest conditions and forestry land in line with the city’s plans.
The department is rolling out measures to manage, protect and sustainably develop existing forests, including reorganizing and strengthening local forest ranger forces and improving professional capacity to reinforce their core role.
Accordingly, affiliated units are continuing to contract forest protection and monitoring tasks to households and local communities while encouraging broader participation by organizations and individuals in forest development.
At the same time, they make regular inspection to protect existing forest areas, enabling early detection and strict handling of violations related to forest management and fire prevention.
"To balance forest conservation with the green economy and eco-tourism, Hanoi will strengthen inter-sectoral coordination, refine policy mechanisms, attract investment and expand the use of digital technologies to build a modern, sustainable and efficient urban forestry model," said Dai.
| In 2025, Hanoi authorities detected and handled 102 violations in the forestry sector, contributing more than VND834 million (US$34,750) to the state budget. Stronger local management, improved intelligence work and closer inter-agency coordination helped prevent illegal logging and the unlawful trade in forest products, ensuring no hotspots emerged. |
