Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and delegates plant trees at the festival. VNA/VNS Photo

HƯNG YÊN - Party General Secretary Tô Lâm attended the launching ceremony of the tree planting festival celebrating the Lunar New Year (Tết) in My Hao township of the northern province of Hưng Yên on Wednesday, or the 8th day of the first lunar month.

The annual tree planting initiative was first launched by President Hồ Chí Minh on November 28, 1959 and has since become a nationwide movement a cultural feature. It also aligns with a national project to plant 1 billion trees in the 2021-2025 period.

Addressing the event, Trần Quốc Văn, Chairman of the Hưng Yên provincial People’s Committee, highlighted the province’s efforts in spreading the tree planting movement among the community.

Since 2022, Hưng Yên has planted a total of 126,633 trees, surpassing the target by 173.5 per cent, with 38,404 trees planted in 2024 alone, 60 per cent higher than the target.

The province has also developed 185 streets with new trees, while trees have been planted across urban areas, industrial zones, rural communities, schools, hospitals, public buildings, and cultural sites.

To date, total investment in tree planting initiatives across the province has reached VNĐ92.6 billion (US$43.67 million), he said.

Văn urged local authorities at all levels, businesses, and residents to start planting trees for this year, ensuring proper care for newly-planted trees and continuing to maintain green spaces, striving to complete the tree planting target for 2025 at an early date. VNS