If all goes to plan, Hanoi will be getting considerably greener in the next five years.
Late last month, Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung of the Hanoi People's Committee announced the capital's plan to plant one million new trees in the city and upgrade 25 public parks, reports VOV.
Of the 25 green spaces earmarked for improvement, five of these parks are expected to meet global standards within a five-year span. These “global standards” are not defined in the article, however Chung emphasized the importance of improving the capital's outdoor public areas for both tourists and locals alike.
Among Hanoi's five forthcoming world-standard parks, the city's Department of Foreign Affairs announced the development of Kim Quy Amusement Park, a 198-hectare Disneyland-inspired outdoor entertainment facility to be built in Dong Anh District.
While an amusement park may not be exactly what some Hanoians had in mind, the one million new trees will be a welcome step from environmentalists in the capital, who last year managed to prevent the destruction of 6,700 trees along the city streets.
In February, Hanoi also earmarked another 40 trees to cut down ahead of metro construction.
[Photo via Flickr user Nathan O'Nions]
