Page 216 - AJWEP-22-6

Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution. Vol. 22, No. 6 (2025), pp. 210-220.
doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025260210

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Assessment of the surface urban heat island in Ho
Chi Minh City using remote sensing and geographic

information systems

Lam Van Hao *
1,2
1 Department of Oceanology, Meteorology and Hydrology, Faculty of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of
Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
2 Viet Nam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
*Corresponding author: Lam Van Hao (lvhao@hcmus.edu.vn)

Received: June 26, 2025; Revised: July 10, 2025; Accepted: July 15, 2025; Published online: October 3, 2025

Abstract: The rapid urbanization of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has led to an increasingly intense urban heat
island (UHI) phenomenon, significantly impacting its environment and inhabitants. This study investigates the
spatiotemporal dynamics of the surface UHI (SUHI) in HCMC by utilizing a 36-year time series of Landsat satellite
imagery (1988, 1995, 2002, 2010, 2017, and 2024), processed within a geographic information system framework.
Land surface temperature (LST) was derived to map and quantify UHI patterns. The results reveal a substantial
and progressive intensification of the SUHI effect, with the citywide mean LST increasing from 25.4°C in 1988 to
28.7°C in 2024. Spatially, the SUHI has expanded from the urban core into peripheral suburban zones, particularly
toward the east and northwest. A strong and consistent negative correlation (R > 0.7) was observed between LST
2
and the normalized difference vegetation index, underscoring the critical role of green spaces in mitigating urban
heat. These findings provide crucial, data-driven insights for urban planners and policymakers, highlighting the
urgent need for sustainable development strategies—such as enhancing green infrastructure and adopting cool
materials—to combat the adverse effects of urban warming in this rapidly expanding tropical metropolis.

Keywords: Geographic information system; Land surface temperature; Landsat; Remote sensing; Urban heat island

1. Introduction This thermal disparity is primarily attributed to
alterations in the urban surface energy balance. The
Urbanization is a defining global trend of the replacement of natural landscapes with impervious
21 century, characterized by the migration of surfaces (e.g., concrete, asphalt) results in lower albedo
st
populations to urban centers and the consequent (reflectivity) and higher thermal admittance, causing
expansion of urban land cover. While this process more solar energy to be absorbed and stored. This is
1
5
often drives economic growth, it concurrently induces compounded by reduced evapotranspirational cooling
significant environmental modifications, one of the due to diminished vegetation cover, complex urban
most prominent being the urban heat island (UHI) geometry that traps solar radiation, and anthropogenic heat
effect. The UHI phenomenon describes the tendency emissions from buildings, transportation, and industrial
2,3
for urban areas to experience higher atmospheric and activities. When referring specifically to surface
6,7
surface temperatures than their surrounding rural and temperature anomalies observed by remote sensors, the
undeveloped counterparts. 4 phenomenon is termed surface urban heat island (SUHI).

Volume 22 Issue 6 (2025) 210 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025260210