According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, of the country’s total forest area of more than 14.91 million hectares, around 10 million hectares are natural forest.
Among 34 provinces and cities, Lam Dong ranks first with over 1.12 million hectares of forest, including more than 930,100 hectares of natural forest and nearly 199,000 hectares of planted forest. Its forest coverage rate exceeds 45.9 per cent.
Two other localities with forest areas above one million hectares are Nghe An, with more than 1.06 million hectares, and Gia Lai, with over 1.03 million hectares. Their forest coverage rates stand at more than 59.4 per cent and 45.9 per cent respectively.
In terms of coverage ratio, Lang Son leads the country at over 64.3 per cent, significantly higher than the national average. Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Lao Cai and Quang Tri also record coverage rates above 60 per cent.
Forests are mainly concentrated in the north central region and the northern midlands and mountainous areas, where terrain is hilly, population density is low and ecosystems are diverse. In contrast, lowland and highly urbanised regions tend to have lower forest coverage.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities that recorded a decline in natural forest area in 2025 to review causes and address related responsibilities.
