Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (second from left) waters a tree after growing it as part of a tree-planting campaign launched in northern Yên Bái Province on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

YÊN BÁI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc attended a ceremony to a launch tree-planting campaign in Trấn Yên District, northern Yên Bái Province on Thursday.

The province hopes to plant at least 520ha of trees this year.
Speaking at the event, PM Phúc said the Government and localities nationwide hope to achieve forest coverage of 42 per cent, earning at least US$12 billion from wood and wooden furniture exports this year and $20 billion by 2025, turning Việt Nam into a wood production and export centre in the next decade.
He asked for Decree No 13 of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat on strengthening the Party leadership on forest management and protection and the Forestry Law 2017 to be followed.
The leader urged departments, agencies, organisations and people to get involved and contribute to forest protection and development.

Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh also launched a tree-planting festival at the Hùng Kings special national historical relic site in the northern midland province of Phú Thọ the same day.  
Thịnh said planting trees on the occasion of Tết (Lunar New Year) has been a beautiful practice of Vietnamese people over the past six decades since President Hồ Chí Minh initiated the campaign, which has contributed to environmental protection, socio-economic development, and national defence and security.
She called on all people to plant trees and protect forests.
According to Bùi Văn Quang, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Phú Thọ aims to plant more than 10,000 ha of concentrated forests in 2020, while stepping up forest protection.
The province will also apply scientific advances to improve productivity and quality of the forestry sector and ensure green, sustainable growth.
On November 28, 1959, President Ho Chi Minh wrote an article which was published in Nhân dân (People) newspaper, stressing the significance of tree planting for each person, family and the entire nation.
Since then, tree planting has been practice whenever a new year comes. Tree planting and afforestation have been widespread and helped with environmental protection and socio-economic development in Việt Nam.
In accordance with the Target Programme on Sustainable Forestry Development for 2016-20, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development targets raising forestry production value by 6-6.5 per cent, increasing forest coverage to 42 per cent and forestry exports to $10 billion by 2020, contributing to mitigating natural disasters and reducing poverty in combination with new-style rural development and ensuring national security. — VNS