Bouncing back from the impact of war involves not only rethinking and reshaping policies to repair social, cultural and economic infrastructures, but requires concerted efforts to restore damaged biodiversity and degraded landscapes.
During the Vietnam War (1955-1975), which is known in Vietnam as the American War, vast tracts of land were decimated by massive quantities of chemical defoliants that were sprayed on forests and fields during U.S. military operations.
Reforestation initiatives began in the 1980s. By 2000, 2 million hectares of forest had been planted. These efforts increased over the years and the country now has 4.2 million hectares of planted forests, equal to 26 percent of the total forested area of 14.6 million hectares.