HÀ NỘI — A total of 13,500 trees were planted along highways nationwide on Tuesday in response to the post-Lunar New Year tree planting festival, said Nguyễn Văn Huyện, director of the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam (DRVN).

The trees were planted by workers from different divisions of the transport sector to ensure a green, clean and beautiful environment, reduce traffic accidents and restore safe road corridors, said Huyện.

“Recently several serious traffic accidents happened due to automobiles falling into abysses. The trees being planted along mountain passes will help limit losses caused by the accidents,” he said.

He added that in the next time, the DRVN would expand the activity in every division of the transport sector, and require local departments of transport to plant more trees.

The sector strives that by the end of March this year, dozens of thousands of new trees will be planted along highways.

Speaking about the activity, Khuất Việt Hùng, permanent deputy chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said in the past, the committee asked road management offices and localities across the country to ensure traffic safety and maintain road safety corridors.

Planting trees along highways was a practical and effective solution, he said.

To help the trees grow well, the DRVN asked local road management offices, authorities and residents to take care of them.

Nguyễn Xuân Ảnh, deputy director of the DRVN, said that the trees not only help improve the landscape, but also reduce losses caused by floods in coastal roads.

Earlier on Sunday, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Party General Secretary, President Nguyễn Phú Trọng attended the national launching ceremony for the tree planting festival in Việt Cường Commune, Trấn Yên District in the northern mountainous province of Yên Bái. The ceremony also aimed to honour late President Hồ Chí Minh, who initiated the practice. — VNS