National forest coverage holds steady at 42.03% in 2025

Vietnam’s forest coverage rate remained stable at 42.03% in 2025, with total forest area estimated at 14,971,553 ha, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE).

Natural forests accounted for 10,079,366 ha of the total area, while planted forests reached 4,892,187 ha.

The forest area eligible for calculating the national coverage rate totalled 13,924,835 ha, including 10,079,366 ha of natural forests and 3,845,469 ha of planted forests.

Compared with 2024, the country’s total forest area expanded by 97,251 ha from 14,874,302 ha. The increase was mainly driven by the expansion of planted forests, which grew by 151,837 ha. In contrast, natural forest area declined by 54,586 ha, dropping from 10,133,952 ha in 2024 to 10,079,366 ha in 2025. Despite these structural changes, the overall forest coverage rate has remained unchanged over the past two years.

Following the 2025 assessment, MAE tasked the Forestry and Forest Protection Department with building and maintaining a nationwide database to monitor forest developments in line with legal regulations and the forestry sector’s information management system. The database is expected to improve monitoring and management efficiency across the country.

Provincial and municipal People’s Committees have been instructed to direct commune-level authorities to fully implement state management responsibilities in forestry under the Law on Forestry. Local administrations are required to utilise forest status data to update annual changes, supporting governance and socio-economic development planning.

Localities reporting declines in natural forest areas in 2025 must conduct reviews and inspections to determine causes and clarify responsibilities where violations are detected. Provinces and cities that have yet to announce their 2025 forest status will be held accountable to competent authorities for delays or failure to publish the data in accordance with regulations./.