According to the Decision, Ho Chi Minh City has more than 72,720 hectares of forest. Of this, over 35,202 hectares are natural forest and more than 37,517 hectares are planted forest. Forest cover stands at over 10%. All data and digital maps on forest changes in 2025 are stored in the Forest Resource Monitoring System (FRMS 4.0), developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Hard-copy data and maps on forest changes in 2025 are stored at the Forest Protection Sub-Department and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment.
The Decision takes effect from March 13, 2026. Under it, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for establishing a forest resource database for the city in line with regulations set out in Decision No. 1439/QĐ-BNN-TCLN dated April 25, 2016, issued by the former Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) on the management and use of the forestry information system. The department will also manage and use the database across the city, apply forest data to implement annual programmes, projects and plans on forest management, protection and fire prevention, and continue updating forest changes in the following year.
Ho Chi Minh City announces forest status for 2025.The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment will also direct the Forest Protection Sub-Department to make public the city’s 2025 forest status and provide information to ensure consistent use. It will organise, guide, monitor and review forest change tracking activities across the city, while taking full responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of the results, as well as the completeness of all related information, documents, data and databases.
The city’s statistical office and other relevant agencies are required to coordinate closely with the department to manage forest data, ensuring that land statistics align with annual forest monitoring results and comply with regulations.
People’s Committees at the commune, ward, and special administrative unit levels will carry out their state management responsibilities in line with Article 102 of the 2017 Forestry Law, as amended by Law No. 146/2025/QH15. They are also responsible for making the 2025 forest status public within their jurisdictions, providing information for consistent use by organisations and individuals, managing and protecting forests, and ensuring that forestry land is used in accordance with regulations. The 2025 forest data will serve as a basis for planning forest protection and development, as well as for monitoring changes in the following year.