Water-conscious planting – Plant landscapes to minimise water usage

THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2027 | SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation | Data Year: 2025

The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) manages planting and landscape maintenance with consideration for water efficiency, matching species selection to climate conditions, planting locations, and irrigation requirements. Under its Green Campus Practice Regulations, UEH prioritizes considering plants that tolerate heat and dry conditions or require less supplemental irrigation once established, together with suitable irrigation scheduling and location-specific maintenance.

In 2025, UEH maintained landscaped areas at the Nguyen Van Linh Campus and supplemented its inventory with records from Campuses A, B, E, and H and student dormitories. The inventories identify plants relevant to reduced irrigation requirements, including bougainvillea, moss rose, Madagascar periwinkle, snake plant, and ZZ plant. The 2025 evidence primarily documents their presence and ongoing maintenance, rather than establishing that every campus plant is drought tolerant or was newly planted in 2025.

1. Policies and Approaches to Water-Conscious Landscaping at UEH

1.1. UEH Green Campus Practice Regulations

UEH applies its Green Campus Practice Regulations based on Decision No. 2059/QD-DHKT-CSVC (2022). The publicly available version was updated in 2024 and continued to apply during the 2025 data year. Under Article 19, Clause 6, UEH encourages the use of native plants that require less water and maintenance in campus planning, renovation, and construction. This is a species-selection policy, not evidence that every plant in the inventories is native or drought tolerant.

Article 22, Clause 3, of the Green Campus Practice Regulations also encourages native planting combined with drip irrigation or automated irrigation using soil-moisture sensors to reduce landscape water consumption. Appropriate plant selection and irrigation solutions are therefore considered together, rather than judging water efficiency solely by the total number of plants. 

Policy source: https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh

Image94 Image49

Articles 19(6) and 22(3) of UEH’s Green Campus Practice Regulations establish a preference for native plants with low water needs, together with water-efficient landscape irrigation.

Public source: UEH Green Campus – Green Campus Practice Regulations.

2. Implementation of Landscaping with Plants Adapted to Dry Conditions Across UEH Campuses

In landscape management, UEH considers plants’ ability to tolerate heat, retain water, and establish their root systems, as well as planting conditions at each campus. Plants in sunny locations, well-drained soil, or suitable potting media can be managed according to their specific irrigation needs. Newly planted specimens still require adequate irrigation during establishment.

The inventories identify several relevant species or groups: (1) bougainvillea, which tolerates heat and drought once established, at Campuses N, A, B, E, H and Dormitory N; (2) moss rose, a succulent-leaved plant adapted to heat and dry conditions, at Campus N; (3) Madagascar periwinkle, adapted to sunny and periodically dry conditions, at Campuses N, A, E and Dormitory N; (4) snake plant, requiring relatively little watering in well-drained growing media, at Campuses A, B and H; and (5) ZZ plant, whose rhizomes store water, at Campuses A, B and E.

Drought tolerance informs the selection of landscaping with potentially lower supplemental irrigation requirements but does not replace operational water-use data. Bougainvillea prefers well-drained conditions and tolerates drought once established; moss rose withstands heat and dry conditions; ZZ plants and snake plants can tolerate longer intervals between watering when their growing media have dried; and Madagascar periwinkle is adapted to sunny settings.

Inventory of Outdoor Landscaping Plants and Potted Plants

 

Outdoor plants
No. Plant species / type Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Beach spider lily Plant 45,700 Image28
2 Agave Plant 163 Image55
3 Golden dewdrop Plant 1,620 Image6
4 Silver fan palm Plant 47 Image91
5 Sago palm / cycad Plant 118 Image26
6 Large orange jasmine Plant 65 Image58
7 Small orange jasmine Plant 1,811 Image44
8 Mountain dracaena Plant 108 Image73
9 Grafted bougainvillea Plant 105 Image36
10 Conifer / ornamental cypress Plant 4 Image8
11 Yellow cassia Plant 13 Image65
12 Giang huong duoi cong (local name) Plant 27
13 Ornamental palm Plant 12
14 Royal palm Plant 77
15 Foxtail palm Plant 10
16 Mai hoa dang (local name) Plant 105
17 Yellow apricot blossom Plant 8
18 False heather Plant 1,905
19 White-leaf ornamental plant Plant 895
20 Jasmine Plant 2,893
21 Fern Plant 38,270
22 Fishing-pole bamboo Plant 4,420
23 Silver butterfly bush Plant 307
24 Moss rose (Portulaca) Plant 3,400
25 Texas sage Plant 1,015
26 Red-tipped ornamental tree Plant 216
27 Yellow-striped ornamental pineapple Plant 36,600
28 Palm Plant 162
29 Hibiscus Plant 1,876
30 Heliconia Plant 4,065
31 Ambarella tree Plant 4
32 Guava tree Plant 5
33 Mango tree Plant 25
34 Rose apple / plum tree Plant 4
35 Coconut palm Plant 25
36 Custard apple tree Plant 3
37 Taiwan almond tree Plant 2
38 Crape myrtle Plant 25
39 Heliconia Plant 970
40 Royal poinciana Plant 28
41 Spider plant Plant 50
42 Yellow bells Plant 90
43 Madagascar periwinkle Plant 600
44 Wild giang huong tree Plant 14
45 Bougainvillea Plant 1,425
46 Fence bougainvillea Plant 450
47 Lantana Plant 195
48 Yellow trumpetbush Plant 75
49 Pink trumpet tree Plant 6
50 Water jasmine Plant 2
51 Mai tieu thu (local name) Plant 747
52 Orchid tree Plant 26
53 Pink shower tree Plant 3
54 Red cassia Plant 31
55 Red elephant ear plant Plant 70
56 Red coleus Plant 195
57 Crape myrtle / tuong vi Plant 138
58 Grafted tuong vi Plant 2
59 Climbing ixora Plant 8
60 Dai phu gia ornamental plant Plant 7
61 Chinese evergreen Plant 150
62 ZZ plant Plant 75
63 Fittonia / nerve plant Plant 8
64 Clumping ornamental bamboo Plant 55
65 Climbing ixora Plant 22
66 Giang huong tree Plant 47
67 Climbing bougainvillea Plant 150
68 Diamond conifer (local name) Plant 8
69 Large freshwater mangrove Plant 2
70 Bougainvillea in square pot Plant 15
71 Climbing bougainvillea Plant 766
72 Shrub bougainvillea Plant 450
73 Crape jasmine Plant 150
74 Nipa palm Plant 55
75 Japanese fan palm Plant 29
76 Golden palm Plant 2
Total outdoor plants 153,226

 

Potted plants
No. Plant species / type Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Chinese evergreen Plant 198
2 Song of India dracaena Plant 107
3 Happiness tree (local name) Plant 36
4 ZZ plant Plant 83
5 Dai phu gia ornamental plant Plant 57
6 Bougainvillea Plant 74
Total potted plants 555

 

Total inventory: 153,781

 

Landscaping at 135 Tran Hung Dao Student Dormitory
No. Plant species / type Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Beach spider lily

Planting bed No. 1: 4.65×0.725m

 Plant 123
2 Beach spider lily

 Planting bed No. 2: 1.96×1.23m

 Plant 73
3 Japanese golden palm, 1 m tall Pot 2
4 Mountain dracaena Plant 1
5 Purple heart plant Plant 80

 

Landscaping at 43–45 Nguyen Chi Thanh Student Dormitory
No. Plant species / type Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Pothos on support pole, 2 m tall Pot 2
2 Japanese golden palm, 1 m tall Pot 2
3 Thaumatophyllum / split-leaf philodendron Pot 3

 

Total plants recorded at these dormitories: 286

2.3. Additional Plant Inventories at Other UEH Campuses in 2025

In 2025, UEH supplemented its landscape inventory with records for Campuses A, B, E, and H, in addition to Campus N and the dormitories. The tables retain the original inventory units (individual plants, pots, planting beds, and green walls), because a bed or wall cannot be counted as equivalent to an individual plant. Drought-tolerant groups are identified by species name and inventory location, without describing them as newly planted unless planting dates are documented.

Table 6. Plant Inventory at Campus A

 

No. Plant species / group Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Green wall Green wall 3
2 Planting bed with peace lily, cycad, Madagascar periwinkle, red-tipped shrubs, grass and ac o Planting bed 3
3 Bird-of-paradise planting bed Planting bed 5
4 Large palm bed with Madagascar periwinkle Planting bed 4
5 Poinsettia Planting bed 1
6 Snake plant Planting bed 3
7 Madagascar periwinkle Pot 33
8 Large ZZ plant Pot 9
9 Large bamboo Planting bed 1
10 Dracaena Pot 5
11 Happiness tree (local name) Pot 2
12 Fiddle-leaf fig Pot 1
13 Bougainvillea Pot 54

 

Source: DFM – worksheet ‘3.1. Plant Inventory (A)’, rows 5–17.

Table 7. Plant Inventory at Campus B

 

No. Plant species / group Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Green wall Green wall 2
2 Large planting bed Planting bed 2
3 Aglaonema (van loc cultivar) Pot 19
4 Freshwater mangrove Plant 11
5 Pothos Pot 36
6 Aglaonema (phu quy cultivar) Pot 4
7 ZZ plant Pot 57
8 Bougainvillea Plant 33
9 Dai phu gia ornamental plant Pot 32
10 Snake plant Pot 69
11 Chinese evergreen Pot 17
12 Song of India dracaena Pot 5
13 Hawaiian palm Pot 28
14 Dracaena Pot 5
15 Mountain dracaena Plant 1
16 Conifer / ornamental cypress Plant 29
17 Lady palm Plant 5
18 Umbrella tree Plant 1
19 Coconut palm Plant 1
20 Tropical almond Plant 2
21 Mango tree Plant 1
22 Weeping fig Plant 3
23 Peace lily Pot 50
24 Trailing dollar plant Pot 14

 

Source: DFM – worksheet ‘3.2. Plant Inventory (B)’, rows 5–28.

Table 8. Plant Inventory at Campus H

 

No. Plant species / type Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Pothos Pot 1
2 Dwarf umbrella tree Pot 1
3 Snake plant Pot 1
4 Bougainvillea Pot 8
5 Dracaena Pot 3

 

Source: DFM – worksheet ‘3.6. Plant Inventory (H)’, rows 5–9.

Table 9. Plant Inventory at Campus E

 

No. Plant species / type Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Spider lily Planting bed 1
2 Peace lily Pot 4
3 ZZ plant Pot 11
4 Bougainvillea Pot 18
5 Hawaiian bamboo Pot 1
6 Madagascar periwinkle Pot 28
7 Dwarf umbrella tree Pot 2
8 Desert rose / frangipani (species unverified) Pot 3
9 Dai phu gia ornamental plant Pot 4
10 Dracaena Pot 11
11 Aglaonema (van loc cultivar) Pot 2

 

Source: DFM – worksheet ‘3.7. Plant Inventory (E)’, rows 5–15.

Table 10. Plant Inventory at Campus N Student Dormitory, Based on DFM Records

 

No. Plant species / type Unit Quantity Photographic evidence
1 Bougainvillea Plant 51
2 Peace lily Plant 36
3 Split-leaf philodendron Plant 148
4 Madagascar periwinkle Plant 188
5 Fern Plant 170
6 Mountain dracaena Plant 1
7 South American philodendron Plant 12
8 Small prayer plant Plant 24
9 Spider lily Plant 586
10 Bird of paradise Plant 300
11 Freshwater mangrove Plant 1
12 Spider plant Plant 200
13 Rose Plant 100

 

Source: DFM – worksheet ‘3.4. Plant Inventory (Campus N Dormitory)’, rows 5–17.

2.4. Continued Landscape Maintenance Under the 2025 Contract

In 2025, UEH continued landscape care and maintenance under Contract No. 1854/HD-CVCX, signed on July 28, 2025, for the period August 1, 2025–July 31, 2026. This documents continued landscape maintenance during the 2025 data year, but is not a separate certification of the proportion of drought-tolerant plants or the amount of irrigation water saved.

The contract covers Campuses A, B, E, and H, the Vo Thi Sau teaching and working facility, and the District 8 facility. Services include watering, plant care, pruning, cleaning planting beds, inspecting plant condition, and replacing dead plants in accordance with technical requirements.

The contract appendix lists plants by maintenance location, including bougainvillea, snake plants, and other species with varying water requirements. Read together with the inventory, the contract provides evidence that UEH continued maintaining and managing landscaping at multiple sites in 2025.

Plant care, maintenance, and landscape management across UEH campuses under Contract No. 1854/HD-CVCX in 2025.

Source: Contract No. 1854/HD-CVCX, dated July 28, 2025, Article 1 and the scope-of-work appendix, pages 2–9 and 17–21.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zvl6gdA3r6joItpyOLZtUWLkRtF9WjGg/view 

5. Implementation Results in 2025 and Comparison with the Previous Evidence Submission

5.1. Plant Inventory Results and Expanded Evidence Coverage Across UEH

In 2025, UEH maintained landscaping at Campus N and supplemented inventory data from other locations. The documentation records 153,781 inventory units at Campus N (153,226 outdoor plants and 555 potted plants), 650 mixed inventory units at Campuses A, B, E, and H, and 2,103 plants or pots at the student dormitories. The combined total presented is 156,534 inventory units, not 156,534 individual plants or plants newly planted in 2025. More important than the aggregate count, these inventories confirm that UEH maintained bougainvillea, moss rose, Madagascar periwinkle, snake plants, and ZZ plants in identifiable locations, consistent with consideration of drought-tolerant plants requiring less supplemental irrigation.

Table 11. Summary of Plant Inventory Data Presented in the 2025 Evidence

 

No. Campus / location Total inventory units
1 Nguyen Van Linh Campus (N) 153,781
2 135 Tran Hung Dao Dormitory 279
3 43–45 Nguyen Chi Thanh Dormitory 7
4 Campus A 124
5 Campus B 427
6 Campus H 14
7 Campus E 85
8 Campus N Dormitory (DFM inventory) 1,817
Total inventory units (plants/pots/beds/walls) 156,534

 

The 2025 inventory expands the evidence from the Nguyen Van Linh Campus to additional teaching, working, and student residential locations. Because the datasets use different units (plants, pots, planting beds, and green walls), the total describes inventory coverage rather than demonstrating a proportional increase in the number of individual plants or water savings.

In particular, the inventories document continued maintenance of species suitable for landscaping with lower supplemental irrigation requirements: bougainvillea at N, A, B, E, H and Dormitory N; moss rose at N; Madagascar periwinkle at N, A, E and Dormitory N; snake plants at A, B, H; and ZZ plants at A, B, E.

5.2. Review of 2025 Results and Comparison with the Previous Submission

In 2025, UEH continued caring for landscaped areas and considering plant groups adapted to heat and relatively dry conditions after establishment. Campus N recorded 153,781 plants and potted plants, while Campuses A, B, E, and H recorded 650 mixed inventory units and dormitories recorded 2,103 plants or pots. Bougainvillea, Madagascar periwinkle, moss rose, snake plants, and ZZ plants illustrate species choices with lower supplemental irrigation requirements in suitable locations. The 1,817 recorded for Campus N Dormitory is the total inventory for that area, not a verified count of new plantings at the Green Living Hub.

Compared with the previous evidence submission, which focused on Campus N, the 2025 evidence extends inventory coverage to Campuses A, B, E, and H and the dormitories. Contract No. 1854/HD-CVCX also documents ongoing plant maintenance in 2025. Most directly relevant to water-conscious planting, UEH’s documented plant species have been considered in relation to their drought tolerance and irrigation needs. Changes in overall inventory counts are not treated as substitutes for measured irrigation water consumption.

6. Conclusion

In 2025, UEH continued maintaining landscaping that includes species known to tolerate relatively dry conditions or require less supplemental irrigation once established, notably bougainvillea, moss rose, Madagascar periwinkle, snake plants, and ZZ plants. Cross-referencing species names, inventory locations, and plant characteristics demonstrates how UEH considers water demand in landscape management, consistent with Article 19, Clause 6, and Article 22, Clause 3, of its Green Campus Practice Regulations. Together with the 2025 landscape maintenance contract, this evidence supports water-conscious planting to minimize water use and advance SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. Quantifying irrigation water savings would require separate operational water-use measurements.