City report · Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City Air quality today
Air quality in Ho Chi Minh City currently reads AQI 44 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 44
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 8.0
- tree cover
- 9.7%
- trees in this area
- 30.5K
- more trees needed
- 63.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Tay Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Apr 26, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Ho Chi Minh City · AQI 44 (Good)
Ho Chi Minh City's tree count comes to 30,473 trees across 12.57 km², 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 63,774 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Ho Chi Minh City today: AQI 44, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · CMT8, 6.1 km away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
8.0
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Thomas Versteeg
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ho Chi Minh City's daily AQI at 79 on average, from 70 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 116 on Nov 9.
Where Ho Chi Minh City stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Ho Chi Minh City: Critically low
9.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
30,473
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
63,774
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,403 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Ho Chi Minh City lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ho Chi Minh City has lost about 50 hectares of forest (about 69 football pitches): 9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 50 haabout 69 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 37 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 17 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 12 ha | 5 ha | 17 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2006 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Ho Chi Minh City?
- Towns and roadscleared for good42% · 21 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good33% · 16 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown25% · 12 ha
Also: logging.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 1,730 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,160 ha
- Overall change
- +428 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ho Chi Minh City grew from about 1,730 hectares to 2,160 hectares, a net gain of about 428 hectares (+25%). New forest grew on about 456 hectares, while 28 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Ho Chi Minh City
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Thuận An14.5 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 67
- Thủ Đức15.8 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 67
- Thủ Dầu Một17.7 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 67
- Cần Giuộc24.3 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 67
- Biên Hòa25.2 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 67
- Bến Cát36.5 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 56
Also compared:Ho Chi Minh City vs HanoiHo Chi Minh City vs HaiphongHo Chi Minh City vs Cần ThơHo Chi Minh City vs Huế
Build your own
Compare Ho Chi Minh City with anywhere
This place
Ho Chi Minh City
Use this data
Put Ho Chi Minh City's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Ho Chi Minh City
What is the air quality (AQI) in Ho Chi Minh City right now?
The latest reading for Ho Chi Minh City shows an AQI of 44 (Good), measured Nov 12, 00:00 local time by the CMT8 ground monitoring station, 6.1 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Ho Chi Minh City today?
At AQI 44 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Ho Chi Minh City been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ho Chi Minh City's daily AQI at 79 on average, from 70 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 116 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Ho Chi Minh City lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ho Chi Minh City has lost about 50 hectares of forest (about 69 football pitches): 9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ho Chi Minh City grew from about 1,730 hectares to 2,160 hectares, a net gain of about 428 hectares (+25%). New forest grew on about 456 hectares, while 28 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Ho Chi Minh City?
Ho Chi Minh City has an estimated 30,473 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 9.7% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Ho Chi Minh City need?
Ho Chi Minh City needs roughly 63,774 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,403 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Ho Chi Minh City's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Tay Thanh, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Tay Thanh; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address