Thu Duc City, Vietnam
City population: 8993082
Duration: 2022 – 2023
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Residential
Last updated: March 2023

To improve the ecological and living environment for the residents, Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) inaugurated a project, "For a Green Dormitory" in September, 2022. The project is a tree planting activity sponsored by the program "One million urban green trees" (MTIC) by Green Viet Water Biodiversity Conservation Center (GreenViet), through the Conservation Fund project. The aim of the green dormitory project was to promote the planting of different species of trees to improve the ecological and living environment for more than 40,000 students staying at the centre. More than 1000 trees such as Pink trumpet, Black Star, Oil, and Camphor have been planted at planned points at the dormitory (1). The initial goal was to plant a total of 5,250 trees from September 2022 to March 2023 and included a series of greening activities of mass organizations at the dormitory campus of the Vietnam National University. So far, more than 1000 students, 200 lecturers, the dormitory manager of VNU-HCM and more than 50 members of Dang Gia Trang Manufacturing, Trading and Service Co., Ltd, participated in the project (1). In addition to this, the project also initiated an exchange program through which plastic waste was exchanged to receive green trees, encouraging awareness among officials, employees and boarding students (2).

For a Green Dormitory
https://plo.vn/trong-hon-1000-cay-xanh-vi-mot-ky-tuc-xa-xanh-post708461.html

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Green playgrounds and school grounds
  • Institutional green space

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education

Focus

Creation of new green areas

Project objectives

The project had several goals it wished to implement and they were defined below: 1. To promote the planting of scattered trees and ornamental trees to improve the ecological and living environment for the students and teachers of the National University of Vietnam. 2. To increase awareness and responsibility of the community in environmental protection in general and spread the movement of planting trees at universities and dormitories in particular. 3. To increase green areas for the Vietnam National University and Ho Chi Minh City in general. 4. To protect the environment and respond to climate change by creating a green living environment for the students at the Vietnam National University. 5. To increase the density of urban trees and improve air quality. (1,2,3,4)

Implementation activities

Since the beginning of 2022, the Dormitory Management Center has mobilized units and organizations to accompany in donating trees to plant at the Dormitory campus as well as building a project "Green dormitory", exchanging plastic waste to receive green trees, a movement without boxes and plastic bags to raise awareness and green actions among officials, employees and boarding students. In specific: - In September 2022, the organizing committee including students, teachers and school staff planted 200 trees (cedar and camphor) and 180 bamboo trees to green the campus of the dormitory. - In November 2022, more than 1000 trees of all kinds such as camphor were planted at planned points at the dormitory of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City. ( 1, 2) During the program, the Organizing Committee planted 200 green trees (cedarwood and camphor) and 180 bamboo trees to green the campus of Dormitory Zone B by the Green Viet Nuoc Biodiversity Conservation Center and the Green Research Center. Research on Conservation of Natural Resources sponsored by the University of Science and Technology (Phu An bamboo village) (2). Accordingly, 100 big-fruited Christmas trees and 100 camphor trees were planted at 2 locations, which are area B - Dormitory of the National University and Administration area of the University of Science and Technology. In parallel with the tree sponsorship, the event also received the sponsorship of Dang Gia Trang Manufacturing, Trading and Service Co., Ltd with 1.6 tons of vermicompost for 200 trees. (3)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Create or improve outdoor spaces to help people escape from urban heat

Main beneficiaries

  • Researchers/University
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Researchers/university

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

This is a project led by the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City alongside several partners: Green Viet Water Biodiversity Conservation Center (GreenViet) and Dang Gia Trang Manufacturing, Trading and Service Co., Ltd. The last 2 entities provided engagement support and fertilizer for the intervention. Students and staff of the university also supported the action by providing help with the implementation. The University provided the land where the action has been implemented. (1,2)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
  • EU funds

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
  • Other

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

For a green dormitory
https://ktx.vnuhcm.edu.vn/tin-tuc/ttqlktx-to-chuc-le-phat-dong-trong-cay-vi-mot-ky-tuc-xa-xanh--265.html
For a green dormitory
https://plo.vn/trong-hon-1000-cay-xanh-vi-mot-ky-tuc-xa-xanh-post708461.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the "NBS 2022" UNA Asian extension project funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation.