The Business Director of the Viet Hung Urban Development and Investment Joint Stock Company (Vihajco), Holger Molendyk said that the company hopes to build the first ecological city in the country by increasing investment in the Eco-Park urban area in the northern province of Hung Yen, 13km from the capital city of Hanoi.

Covering 500 ha in Phung Cong commune, Van Giang district, 22 percent of the Eco Park area will be set aside for trees and water surface with the aim of creating an ideal environment for human development and a civilised life. Additionally, a series of green urban projects are being implemented nationwide.

The Phoenix Garden, designed by a French architect and invested by the DIA Development and Investment Ltd. Co. in Hanoi’s Dan Phuong district, will become a modern urban area with large eco-friendly villas.

Meanwhile, the Trung Nam Group poured nearly USD1.7 billion into building the Quan Nam – Thuy Tu green urban area in central coast city of Da Nang. The project will include hotels and entertainment sites as well as public facilities such as kindergartens, schools, markets, hospitals, trade and service offices and as well as ample greenery.

Green urban planning has become the focus of recent real estate forums. “Building ecological urban areas is necessary to minimise urban degradation in the modernisation and urbanisation process,” said real estate development experts. However, other experts pointed out obstacles to this trend of development, such as the lack of a uniform set of standards for such green urban areas and high investment costs. Deputy Head of the Construction Ministry’s Urban Development Department Nguyen Thi Hanh emphasised the need for careful planning, maintenance and upgrade of newly-built ecological urban areas.