Ho Chi Minh City targets increasing the area of land for parks by at least 150 hectares by 2025, for an average of 0.65 sq m per person.

Under a master plan on the development of public parks and trees during the 2020-2030 period approved recently by the municipal People’s Committee, the average area of park land is to rise to 1 sq m per person by 2030.

The total area of trees is expected to reach 3-4 sq m per person by 2030.

The city aims to plant more than 30,000 trees.

As of 2022, it had 369 parks on a total area of around 500 ha.

The density of trees in the city still fails to meet standards for urban areas, which require an average of 10 sq m of trees per person to ensure fresh air. The current rate is 2 sq m in the city.

It is facing a shortage of trees due to limited budget funds, with priority being given to the construction of urgent projects such as schools, hospitals, roads, and anti-flooding works, according to urban planning expert Pham Sanh.