The Colors That Can Be Seen
In the last days of July, Huế has been drawing attention from the public as the first city in Vietnam to announce the completion of painting and marking bike lanes on sidewalks on several main streets in the city with a total length of nearly 8km. This is part of the Green City Project of Huế, which was approved by the People's Committee of Thừa Thiên-Huế Province in 2016, and is being implemented by the Department of Planning and Investment of Thừa Thiên-Huế Province. The project includes 10 construction packages with a total investment of nearly 1.7 trillion VND to contribute to the completion of the city's transportation infrastructure, reduce flooding, improve environmental sanitation, promote business activities, and create a beautiful urban landscape for Huế City.
Of course, compared to the world, dedicating a part of the sidewalk to bicycles is not a strange thing. In recent years, many countries have done this and done it successfully, such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Canada, the United States, etc. However, in Vietnam, this is a very new and strange thing, and Huế is the pioneering locality with two goals: ensuring the safety of cyclists and realizing the province's determination to make Thừa Thiên-Huế a green and environmentally friendly city.
At the same time, this also opens up opportunities to promote eco-tourism. Tourists visiting Huế can easily explore the city by bicycle, enjoy the peaceful and clean space, and appreciate the ancient beauty of the land.
Regarding the issue of "green city", I also remember that Huế was the first city in Vietnam to be recognized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as a "National Green City" in 2016 in a competition with 125 cities from 21 countries around the world with very strict criteria. And Huế is also "green" with impressive statistics that can be seen: the city has the highest density of street trees in the country with over 64,000 street trees of various species, exceeding the standard for urban areas of class 1.
Huế is also the city with the highest density of street trees in the country with over 750ha of public land, accounting for 18.5m2 per person (excluding trees in private gardens, nurseries, office trees, and trees in historical sites, scenic forests).
And the Quantifiable Green Colors
However, Huế has just "made" a surprise by ranking 37th in the country in the Provincial Green Index (PGI) in 2023, announced by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) on May 9, 2024. While the top-ranking localities in the 2023 ranking, namely Quảng Ninh Province, Đà Nẵng City, Đồng Nai Province, Hưng Yên Province, and Ho Chi Minh City, have long been "low-key" and not highly evaluated by the public in terms of the "green city" issue.
Actually, they are all green, but the PGI green is a specific and quantifiable measure, linked to a set of evaluation and ranking criteria for environmentally friendly localities. This index is evaluated based on criteria such as the level of attention and investment in environmental protection by local authorities and other environmental issues; the level of application of environmentally friendly technology; the level of management and handling of environmental issues by businesses in the locality...
For example, Đà Nẵng City is highly evaluated for its Green Index due to its reputation for beautiful beaches and clean air, as well as its pioneering role in using renewable energy, managing waste, and protecting water resources. Similarly, Ho Chi Minh City, despite being a large and densely populated city, still maintains effective policies for sustainable development and environmental management.
The PGI index has also shown that localities that improve their PGI index also have better environmental conditions, improved public safety, and better public health. And notably, the improvement of these indices is not closely related to the number of trees in a city, the number of bike lanes, or the number of awards won in the WWF's "green city" competition...
A truly green city must be a place where all factors, from urban greening (trees), eco-tourism development, effective waste and water management, smart public lighting, renewable energy use, and environmentally friendly building materials... are not only given attention but also effectively implemented. Especially, the effectiveness must be deep, quantifiable, and sustainable, not just qualitative and fleeting!
