An aerial view of the city center in Ward 1 with many large trees and wide canopies shading much of the area.
The city's 14,463 shady trees are spread across 87 roads. The ancient trees are mostly on 20 roads in the central wards (Wards 1-7) and near Ba Om Pond, a popular tourism location in Ward 8.
The city, which spreads over an area of 68 square kilometers and has a population of 115,000, achieved a green coverage rate of over 29 square meters per person—10 times the national urban average.
Nguyen Van Lieu, vice chairman of the city people's committee, says the city has strived to preserve its trees, especially the old ones, to achieve this coverage.
Each public tree is numbered to monitor their growth.
In March 2024 IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, ranked Tra Vinh City third best in Southeast Asia for air quality and first in Vietnam. According to Lieu, the city is considered the greenest in Vietnam.
A large, old resin tree stands at the intersection of Hung Vuong and Le Loi Streets near the city's People's Committee office. When the city built the road, the tree was preserved on a small island as an urban decoration.
City staff regularly check up on the trees.
Between 2017 and 2020 the city spent VND20 billion (US$787,000) annually on care for frail trees through fertilizing and improving the soil, directly injecting nutritious solution into tree trunks and removing concrete sidewalks that were encasing tree roots.
As a result nearly 400 trees recovered and became healthy.
City conservancy staff injecting a nutritious solution into tree trunks in 2018. Video by VnExpress/An Binh
There are two teams of 100 workers to routinely inspect and prune branches to ensure the safety of the trees and people. The city spends VND20 billion annually on tree care and consults experts from the Netherlands and Australia to maintain the health of large old trees.
Ang Pagoda in Ward 8, the oldest in Tra Vinh Province, was built in 990 CE. From above, the pagoda looks like it nestles in a miniature forest.
Many of the trees in the forest have exposed roots in unique shapes.
The city's many old trees make it a challenge to widen roads or build new houses as the population grows.
So instead of developing along the city center and risking damage to the trees, Tra Vinh plans to triple its urban area while preserving tree-filled areas like the old quarter. These areas will be developed into walking streets and night markets to promote tourism.
Tra Vinh City has received 1.3 million visitors this year, a 35% increase from the same period in 2023.
