Only a few stunted saplings have been planted in the new urban areas in Hanoi. While the area of Hanoi has increased by fourfold, the green area has not increased accordingly.

Along with urbanisation, more and more multistory buildings have been built in the city. Each of them houses thousands of people. But the greenery area for relaxing is short of expectation.

The overly high population density, together with exhaust gas from vehicles, causes serious pollution in urban areas.

Urban greenery systems do not meet demand. If the ratio of greenery in the four inner districts is 1.8 sqm per person, the figure in new urban areas falls to just 0.9. The rate is one tenth of the greenery norm in global modern cities. This shows a shortcoming in research and long-term view in greenery planning in Hanoi.

Greenery design is a vital factor in urban planning, contributing to improving living standards. Greenery planning needs to go along with urban planning for sustainable urban development.-VNA

VNA