Biophilia without uniformity: a visual essay on urban planning, governance, and nature in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Source abstract

Biophilic urbanism refers to the planning, design, governance, and use of urban areas in ways that facilitate human contact with nature. However, the biophilic qualities of cities can vary based on their specific circumstances. Drawing on purposively selected photographs and contextual sources, in this visual essay we explore how urban planning, governance, everyday practices, and local ecology can shape biophilic urbanism in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and we consider their potential health and wellbeing implications. The photographs and contextual sources from Hanoi foreground greenery, lakes and rivers, heritage and civic symbolism, state-supported planning, formally managed public spaces, and urban life. The photographs and sources from Ho Chi Minh City foreground river-oriented development, land conversion, overlapping public and private roles, and building-integrated greening. These characteristics are presented as illustrative and overlapping emphases rather than exclusive or representative city models. We advocate ‘biophilia without uniformity’ as an interpretive lens for understanding how shared biophilic aspirations within the same national system can take situated forms in cities and other places, shaped by ecological, cultural, spatial, institutional, and other contexts. For other rapidly urbanising cities, our analysis suggests that biophilic urban planning, governance, and development strategies should align with local circumstances.