15.2.1 – Events about Sustainable Use of Land
In 2025, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) continued to promote the conservation and sustainable use of land resources, forest ecosystems, and wildlife habitats by organizing and supporting field activities, academic events, and educational programmes. These programmes took place on UEH campuses and in local communities, with participation from students, faculty and staff, local authorities, residents, and partners.
1. Strategic Direction
In 2025, UEH focused on three priorities:
Conservation of forests and natural ecosystems: Organizing and co-organizing community consultations and professional exchanges to advance mangrove conservation, wildlife protection, and preservation of natural habitats.
Tree planting and development of green spaces: Implementing tree-planting programmes, improving landscapes, and protecting green spaces in local communities and across UEH campuses.
Education and awareness-raising: Organizing campaigns, competitions, exhibitions, and extracurricular and experiential activities to foster responsibility for protecting biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystems.
2. Objectives and Target Groups
Objectives: Raise awareness and encourage both external communities and UEH students, faculty, and staff to take action to protect land resources, plant trees, and conserve forests and biodiversity. Strengthen local community participation in conservation solutions linked to green livelihoods and sustainable development.
Target groups: Local residents, local authorities, UEH students, faculty and staff, experts, organizations, and partners.
3. Advancing the Improvement and Expansion of Campus Green Spaces
a) Developing UEH Nexus Campus Nha Trang with Green Spaces and a Sustainable Campus
In 2025, UEH broke ground on UEH Nexus Campus, aiming to establish an education and research facility responsive to the natural conditions and distinctive characteristics of Khanh Hoa Province. Under the published design, buildings at UEH Nexus Campus are connected through hanging-garden vegetation, expanding planting areas, improving the microclimate, and increasing the presence of plants throughout the campus. UEH also organized a tree-planting activity as part of the groundbreaking programme to demonstrate its commitment to green development.
Overall rendering of UEH Nexus Campus, featuring hanging gardens designed to expand vegetated areas throughout the campus
Public source: UEH Portal, “From a Local Mission to Global Aspirations: UEH Nexus Campus Nha Trang – the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City’s New Strategic Branch Campus Officially Included among 250 Projects Launched or Inaugurated to Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Viet Nam’s National Day”, 12/08/2025
UEH faculty and staff planted more than 300 trees at UEH Nexus Campus in Khanh Hoa Province
Public source: UEH Portal, “A Series of Activities for the Community and Environment with UEH ‘Together We Share’”, 24/07/2025
b) Expanding Green Spaces at Campuses in Ho Chi Minh City
At campuses with substantial outdoor space, such as Nguyen Van Linh Campus and UEH Mekong, UEH prioritized maintaining outdoor trees, vegetation, and landscaped areas to protect soil surfaces, enhance natural water infiltration, and improve microclimatic conditions. According to the facilities management unit’s 2025 inventory, Nguyen Van Linh Campus recorded 155,598 trees and ornamental plants, compared with 153,781 in 2024. These included various trees and plants such as crinum lilies, ferns, variegated pineapples, palms, rosewood trees, freshwater mangrove trees, bougainvillea, and other ornamental species. Inventories at campuses A, B, H, and E and the dormitories also showed a range of planting arrangements suited to each building, including outdoor trees, planting beds, green walls, and indoor plants.
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Depending on the area and characteristics of each campus, UEH implemented appropriate greening measures, combining trees, ground vegetation, landscaped planting beds, and indoor plants to enhance ecological environmental quality, limit the conversion of open spaces into concrete surfaces, and create learning environments closer to nature. By maintaining, caring for, and expanding campus green spaces, UEH progressively improved the use of existing land, protected ecological landscapes, and promoted sustainable land-use practices within the university community, contributing to SDG 15 – Life on Land.
3. Internal Commitments and Supporting Policies
In 2022, to promote conservation and sustainable land use, UEH continued to implement the Green Campus Regulations (Decision No. 2059/QD-DHKT-CSVC), emphasizing Article 5, Clause 6 on protecting and caring for trees at UEH campuses. This provided a foundation for tree planting, expansion of green areas, and landscape protection. UEH also implemented Article 14, Clause 3 on organizing campaigns to collect waste from public spaces and raise environmental awareness. On that basis, relevant units and the UEH Youth Union and Student Association actively carried out activities promoting community participation in protecting land environments and developing sustainable green spaces.
In 2025, UEH continued to maintain this foundation while reviewing and updating the Green Campus Regulations to broaden commitments to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of land resources, and protection of natural ecosystems, while clarifying responsibilities for organizing and supporting conservation and community education activities, as follows:
Article 12, Clause 4 – Policy on collaboration with organizations, businesses, communities, and other stakeholders for environmental protection and sustainable development. UEH encourages the implementation or joint implementation of educational, research, knowledge-transfer, and community service activities to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, use land resources sustainably, protect biodiversity and rare animal and plant species, and promote sustainable agriculture, sustainable tourism, and scientific and technological applications in ecosystem management and protection.
Article 15, Clause 5 – UEH Responsibilities. UEH is responsible for organizing or co-organizing educational programmes, training courses, workshops, knowledge-transfer activities, and free community learning resources on environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable land use. Furthermore, Article 15, Clause 7 also provides direction for community outreach programmes on agricultural land management, sustainable tourism, ecosystem conservation and restoration, protection of species requiring conservation, and biodiversity monitoring.
Article 5 – Implementation of Green Campus Principles at UEH. UEH requires the protection of trees and landscapes, encourages planting, caring for, and protecting greenery to maintain biodiversity, and promotes active participation in environmental protection programmes. Article 9, Clause 5 encourages tree planting, expansion of green spaces, ecosystem restoration, and collaboration with domestic and international organizations on emission reduction and carbon offsetting solutions.
Article 12, Clause 5 and Article 15, Clause 6 encourage UEH to collaborate with government agencies, local authorities, businesses, social organizations, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and communities on programmes and projects to protect natural resources and conserve ecosystems and biodiversity. These provisions provide a basis for UEH to collaborate on forest conservation, wildlife protection, tree planting, and awareness-raising activities concerning sustainable land use in local communities.
Article 15, Clauses 1 and 2, assign UEH responsibility for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating sustainable development programmes and disseminating Green Campus policies. Articles 21 and 22 define the coordinating responsibilities of academic campuses, member units, and functional departments in organizing activities, raising awareness, mobilizing resources, and implementing environmental protection campaigns in public spaces.
The above policies and directions support the organization of conservation and sustainable land-use activities. Their implementation is demonstrated through the following programmes and events conducted in 2025.
4. Evidence of Programmes and Events Implemented in 2025
| No. | Programme/
Project |
Format/
Classification |
Description | Public Source |
| 1 | Women4Mangrove – Mangrove Conservation Linked to Community Livelihoods | Project launch; forest conservation seminar; community consultation | On 10 December 2025, UEH collaborated with the People’s Committees of An Thanh and Cu Lao Dung Communes, Can Tho City, to launch the Women4Mangrove project alongside a thematic discussion on mangrove conservation and sustainable livelihoods. The event brought together local authorities, experts, and community representatives to discuss forest conservation and mangrove ecosystem protection, emphasizing women’s empowerment and the development of sustainable educational agritourism models in the Mekong Delta. The project aims to establish a women-managed nursery and reforestation training centre, with a target of restoring five hectares of mangroves during implementation.
In 2025, the project also expanded international connections and learning exchanges in Thailand (November 2025) and the Netherlands (December 2025), helping refine the model and inform future scaling plans.
Delegates attended and contributed views during the seminar
Delegates, partners, and the Women4Mangrove project team took a commemorative photograph at an international forum for professional exchange |
UEH Portal, Can Tho Newspaper, December 2025 |
| 2 | Forest Envoys 2 – Wildlife Conservation Awareness Campaign 2025 | Educational event and academic competition; environmental volunteering | In March 2025, the Youth Union and Student Association of the UEH School of Tourism organized the Forest Envoys 2 campaign, themed around responsible tourism and wildlife conservation. The programme combined education on protected species with tree planting and clean-up activities at Ap 12 Park, Pham Van Hai Commune, Ho Chi Minh City, school outreach, and a wildlife conservation knowledge competition. The campaign recorded 70 participating students, 80 competing teams, and engagement from more than 2,000 students.
The wildlife conservation communications series attracted over 200,000 views, reached 60,000 people, and generated 7,000 interactions, raising awareness of the goal of ending poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking.
Students decorated walls to spread messages about wildlife conservation
Students swept and collected litter at a children’s playground
Final round of the academic competition on wildlife laws and conservation, themed “Responsible Tourism Must Go Hand in Hand with Wildlife Conservation” |
UEH Green Campus Website, “Wildlife Conservation Awareness Campaign 2025 – Forest Envoys 2, UEH School of Tourism”, 31/03/2025 |
| 3 | Green Sunday – “Share Love, Plant Hope” | Tree planting; community landscape conservation volunteering | On 30 March 2025, the Youth Union and Student Association of the UEH School of Business Information Technology organized the Green Sunday programme, “Share Love, Plant Hope”, in Qui Duc Commune, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Eleven student volunteer groups planted trees in areas designated by local authorities and collected litter in public spaces.
Students planted trees and removed weeds in the local community
Students cleaned local streets and the Hoc Huu historical memorial site |
UEH Green Campus Website, “Recap of Green Sunday 2025 – Share Love, Plant Hope”, 31/03/2025 |
| 4 | UEH Day 2025 – “Together Root for Tomorrow” | Tree-planting event and development of green spaces | On 24 July 2025, during UEH Day 2025 in Khanh Hoa Province, UEH carried out the “Together Root for Tomorrow” activity, planting 300 trees at UEH Nexus Campus. The activity helped develop the campus landscape, promoted a green and sustainable academic environment, and strengthened UEH’s environmental responsibility. It formed part of a series of community and environmental activities involving nearly 900 UEH faculty and staff.
UEH faculty and staff planted 300 trees at UEH Nexus Campus in Khanh Hoa Province |
UEH Portal, “A Series of Activities for the Community and Environment with UEH ‘Together We Share’”, 24/07/2025 |
| 5 | “Whispers Before Silence” – Rare Wildlife Conservation Exhibition | Educational exhibition and biodiversity conservation awareness campaign | On 6 and 21 November 2025, TaxGroup (the Student Tax Research Group) and Apple Club (the English Club) jointly organized the “Whispers Before Silence” exhibition at UEH’s Nguyen Tri Phuong Campus. Students explored information about animal species listed in the Viet Nam Red Data Book and IUCN Red List, including habitats, threat categories, and risks to species survival. They also answered questions on wildlife conservation and wrote personal commitments. The activity helped raise wildlife awareness and discourage consumption of wildlife products.
Students learned about animal species listed in the Viet Nam Red Data Book and IUCN Red List
Students took part in a wildlife sound-identification activity
Students wrote commitments to protect wildlife |
UEH Green Campus Website, “Whispers Before Silence Exhibition Booth – UEH Green Campus 2025 Activity Series”, 22/11/2025 |
| 6 | 4th International Design Competition – Sustainable Economic and Cultural Development through Urban Landscape Connections along the Cai River, Khanh Hoa Province | International design competition; proposed landscape restoration and sustainable land-use solutions | In 2025, the UEH Institute of Smart City and Management (ISCM), UEH Nexus Campus, and the Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee jointly organized a competition to identify sustainable development solutions for the urban landscape along the Cai River in Khanh Hoa Province. Several proposals focused on wetland restoration, greenery, and adaptation to riverside ecological conditions. In particular, “Nha Trang Elasticity” and “Threshold – Design within the Pulse of Rising Water” emphasized restoring wetlands, developing native vegetation systems, and designing public spaces adaptable to rising water levels. These proposals promoted natural landscape conservation, restoration of riverside ecosystems, and sustainable use of urban land.
Exhibition of proposals for connecting urban landscapes along the Cai River in Khanh Hoa Province |
UEH Portal, “Awards Ceremony for the 4th International Design Competition: Converging Knowledge and Co-creating Solutions to Connect Urban Landscapes along the Cai River, Khanh Hoa Province”, 29/09/2025 |
| 7 | UEH–NEU National Scientific Workshop Series: Real Estate Markets and Green Experiential Tourism in the National Sustainable Development Strategy | Scientific workshops; research and policy discussions on sustainable development | In December 2025, UEH collaborated with the National Economics University (NEU) on a series of workshops addressing sustainable real estate market development and the formulation of criteria for green experiential tourism models in coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta. Experts discussed real estate development aligned with communities’ long-term interests, assessed the potential of green experiential tourism, and proposed criteria suited to local circumstances. These exchanges encouraged knowledge sharing and approaches to sustainable resource use, spatial development, and tourism.
Delegates exchanged views during the workshop |
UEH Portal, “UEH–NEU National Scientific Workshop Series: Real Estate Markets and Green Experiential Tourism in the National Sustainable Development Strategy”, 08/12/2025 |
| 8 | Green Sunday 2025 Volunteer Programme – A Splash of Green, UEH School of Banking | Volunteer campaign; landscape conservation education and green lifestyle practices | From 15 to 31 March 2025, the UEH School of Banking conducted waste-sorting education, plant-care workshops, and volunteer activities in Hiep Phuoc Commune, Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City. During the volunteer visit, students collected litter, cleaned public spaces, and improved landscapes at schools and community gathering areas. More than 1,000 students joined the online challenge, nearly 600 participated in environmental education booths, and workshops involved decorating over 100 plant pots. The programme raised awareness about land environmental protection, landscape maintenance, and plant care.
Students helped clean and beautify landscapes and raise awareness of terrestrial ecosystems |
UEH Green Campus Website, “Green Sunday Volunteer Programme 2025, School of Banking – A Splash of Green”, 01/04/2025 |
| 9 | “Volunteer Saturday – Green Sunday 2025” Programme: Land Environmental Protection and Landscape Improvement in Tan Kien Commune, Binh Chanh District | Volunteer campaign; landscape conservation education and green lifestyle practices | The Youth Union and Student Association of the UEH School of Economics organized a Green Sunday activity on 23 March 2025 along Hung Nhon Road, Tan Kien Commune, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. UEH students collected litter, removed weeds, cleared overgrown vegetation, and cleaned roads, helping prevent soil pollution from waste, improve landscapes, and maintain clean public spaces. The activity promoted student participation in environmental protection and encouraged responsible care for landscapes and shared land.
Students took part in cleaning Hung Nhon Road, Tan Kien Commune, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City |
UEH Portal, “Volunteer Saturday – Green Sunday 2025 Programme, School of Economics”, 19/05/2025 |
5. Conclusion
In 2025, UEH continued to implement diverse initiatives promoting terrestrial ecosystem conservation and sustainable land use, increasing from seven activities in 2024 to nine in 2025. These included scientific workshops, educational awareness programmes, and field activities in local communities and on campus.
Regarding the conservation of forests and natural ecosystems, Women4Mangrove promoted professional exchange and community collaboration on conserving mangrove forest areas, linking natural resource protection with sustainable livelihoods.
Regarding biodiversity and wildlife habitat protection, Forest Envoys 2 and Whispers Before Silence delivered educational, experiential, and communication activities on wildlife conservation, including exhibitions about threatened animals, expanding access to conservation knowledge and strengthening responsibility. Forest Envoys 2 also combined tree planting with public-space environmental improvement.
Regarding green spaces and responsible land use, tree-planting programmes in Qui Duc Commune and at UEH Nexus Campus helped improve landscapes. “Together Root for Tomorrow” in Khanh Hoa Province recorded 300 trees planted in 2025.
Regarding sustainable land-use solutions, the 4th International Design Competition created a forum for exchanges and proposals concerning riverside landscapes, protection of natural features, and environmentally adaptive urban development.
Through these programmes, UEH demonstrated its role in organizing and supporting events with clear aims to conserve forest ecosystems, biodiversity, landscapes, and sustainable land use; raise awareness of wildlife habitats; plant trees; and encourage responsible management of land. Activities recorded in 2025 contributed to SDG 15 – Life on Land, particularly indicator 15.2.1 of THE Impact Rankings.