GROWING OWN GREENS

Urban gardening in Hanoi

August 2025

Last month, I moved to a new apartment. It was a difficult decision because I loved everything about the place where I had lived since just after leaving my quarantine hotel in December 2021. But the construction of a new house, wall to wall with ours, and the upcoming noise, dust, and dirt for at least a year (on top of the omnipresent noise) were not a great outlook, and we decided to move. I found a new apartment nearby, which means that I am still surrounded by this special “Tay Ho” vibe. It is the mix of old and new houses, coffee shops, restaurants, small supermarkets, narrow alleys, and a lot of green: tall palm trees, trees, and plants in all sizes, that is so familiar to me. However, one thing is different since I have moved. In my old alley No 31 there are way more “white” foam boxes, used for what is called container gardening, and part of what makes urban gardening in Hanoi so lively. It was this occupation of public space by my neighbors and their chickens that made this neighborhood special.

Contributing to the household’s nutrition with raised chickens, frogs, ducks or home-grown fruit and vegetables is highly valued here. It is a tradition, a leisure activity, and more and more the wish to know where to get fresh, clean, and safe food. Thus, public spaces, alleys, back and front yards, and even the edges of West Lake or the smaller ponds nearby are used for small-scale food production. Standing on our rooftop on the 9th floor, I also see many rooftop gardens or different greens sticking out on balconies. I have the feeling that whoever has space, or even just a bit of public space in front of their house, is growing something and, this is so cool, is sharing with family and friends. I have become part of an informal supply chain, not from urban gardening but from the countryside though. Lucky me. I joined the “order agroforestry* products” group from partner organizations in the office and have direct access to seasonal, fresh products.

Sharing is caring and here’s an example from the other day at the office: My colleague brought a huge jackfruit. She had been growing the tree for six years, starting from a jackfruit seed, and now she could harvest the huge 7-kilo darling for the first time. We opened it on the kitchen floor and had enough fruit to eat immediately and to bring a huge portion home.

Or this example: A friend started her rooftop garden when she moved in two years ago and whenever she travels, she brings back seeds and grows them successfully in containers. She could already harvest basil, Vietnamese chive, rosemary, cilantro, as well as bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, kale, cabbage, and chilli. The production is not huge, but it is sufficient to supplement her meals during harvest season. She shared a huge portion of basil fresh from her rooftop garden, and I made a tasty pesto that was enough for four big pasta portions. I am sure she will harvest more within the next year, now that she started with bucket composting. I am not a gardener myself, but I totally understand the pride of those who bring products from farm to fork.

One of my basil pesto pasta eaters was of course Cô Lien. Her balcony is a green paradise with lots of plants and orchids, but no veggie garden. But she is also very much concerned about food safety. She mentioned a study from around 2019 that revealed that many Hanoians are concerned about food safety, especially chemical hazards, with pesticide residues being an issue, so naturally she believes that she is better off with home-grown food. Her family lives south of Hanoi and whenever she is visiting her parents, they would pack her boxes full of fruits and veggies from their and the neighbors’ garden. And in times when she is busy, her mom would send the box on one of the many buses to Hanoi.

We both agreed that it is worth trying to find direct ways to buy good quality food. What I do is a mix. I buy my groceries from the market in the alley and strictly buy from the lady Cô Lien trusts, sometimes from the supermarket or the small shop that claims to offer organic food, and sometimes I join group orders from the office group. I am doing fine.

I am writing this during a very hot day in August with temperatures of around 35 degrees and some heavy rain episodes lately, and I appreciate even more all the green spaces around the city that help to cool down the air, provide space for insects, improve air quality, and teach us the importance of a healthy environment.

*Just a quick note on agroforestry: It is a land use system that includes trees on farms, farming in forests, and tree-crop production. It makes use of trees’ ability to store carbon, draw water and nutrients from the soil, shelter biodiversity, build organic matter in the soil, and even record climate history.