Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the Ceremony to respond to the 'Program to plant 1 billion trees - For a green Vietnam'

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Phuc - Member of the Politburo, Prime Minister arrivedattendlAlso attending were comrades: Vuong Dinh Hue - Member of the Politburo,Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee; Phan Dinh Trac - Member of Politburo,Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission; Uong Chu Luu - Vice Chairman of the National Assembly.

CParty Central Committee members: Nguyen Chi Dung - Minister of Planning and Investment;Nguyen Van The - Minister of Transport;Tran Hong Ha - Minister of Natural Resources and Environment;Nguyen Dac Vinh - Deputy Chief of the Central Party Office; Nghiem Xuan Thanh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam; Lieutenant General Nguyen Doan Anh - Commander of Military Region 4.

On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrades: Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; comrades in the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee, leaders of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee;...

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and representatives from ministries, sectors, and localities respectfully held a memorial service for heroic martyrs at Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site. Photo: Thanh Duy

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc offers incense to commemorate heroic martyrs at Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site. Photo: Thanh Duy

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc offers flowers to commemorate heroic martyrs at Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site. Photo: Pham Bang

Before the ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and leaders of the Party, State and Nghe An province offered flowers and incense to commemorate the heroic martyrs at Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site.

This is the resting place of 1,240 officers and soldiers who bravely fought and heroically sacrificed to protect the traffic artery during the resistance war against the US to save the country. Among them is the mass grave of 13 Youth Volunteers of the “Steel Squad”, belonging to the 317th Youth Volunteer Company of Nghe An who sacrificed their lives while on duty on October 31, 1968.

The delegation respectfully commemorated the heroic martyrs at Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site. Photo: Thanh Duy

Next, the Prime Minister and delegates attended the "Ceremony to Respond to the Program of Planting 1 Billion Trees - For a Green Vietnam". Following President Ho Chi Minh's advice: "For the benefit of ten years, we must plant trees, for the benefit of a hundred years, we must cultivate people", over the years, the Party, State and Government have always considered increasing forest coverage as a central and continuous task, in parallel with the goal of economic development.

Delegates attending the "Ceremony to respond to the Program of planting 1 billion trees - For a green Vietnam". Photo: Pham Bang

The Prime Minister and delegates attended the ceremony. Photo: Thanh Duy

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed and issued Directive No. 45/CT-TTg on organizing the "Tet Tree Planting" movement and strengthening forest protection and development from the beginning of 2021 to respond to the impacts of global climate change, extreme weather events, storms, floods, landslides, droughts, and saltwater intrusion causing serious consequences to people's lives and property.

The Prime Minister requested that on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2021, the whole country join hands and contribute to planting 1 billion new trees in the period 2021 - 2025.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha speaks at the ceremony. Photo: Pham Bang

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has developed and submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval the Project on Restoration and Development of Green Tree System with the goal of sustainably maintaining green tree infrastructure, natural ecosystems, and sustainably developing biodiversity, urban areas, and green tree ecosystems in vulnerable areas.

Accordingly, trees will be planted based on specific scientific grounds; the movement of planting trees, protecting trees, protecting the environment and nature will be carried out substantially and effectively throughout society, spreading its meaning to each agency, organization, business, household and individual.

To facilitate the identification of planting locations, monitoring, management and care of trees, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has deployed the development of a database management system for tree maps and tracking on smartphones. This data will be open for each organization and individual to participate.

The Prime Minister and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment presented symbolic trees to the people of Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Duy

In response to the initiative For a Green Vietnam, at the Truong Bon National Historical Site - which used to be a "bomb bag" and "fire coordinate" during the war, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment presented the people of Do Luong district with 10,000 flower and black star trees, with the desire to spread the meaning of tree planting, greening the mountains, forests, villages and hamlets of Do Luong district, Nghe An province in particular and the whole country in general.

Implementing the Party's guidelines, President Ho Chi Minh's teachings and the direction of the Government and Prime Minister, Nghe An identifies tree planting, forest protection and environmental protection as important, regular, continuous and long-term tasks to ensure the comprehensive and sustainable development of the province.

Thanks to that, in recent years, the tree planting, afforestation and forest protection movement of Nghe An province has achieved many important results. The whole province currently has more than 964,000 hectares of well-managed and protected forests, with forest productivity and quality constantly increasing, and forest cover reaching 58.5%.

Nghe An is one of the provinces with high forest coverage in the country, contributing significantly to protecting the ecological environment, protecting water resources, conserving genetic resources, biodiversity and maintaining national security and defense.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province Nguyen Duc Trung spoke at the ceremony. Photo: Pham Bang

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province Nguyen Duc Trung said: Responding to the movement "Tet tree planting to forever remember Uncle Ho" and implementing the Prime Minister's initiative "Planting 1 billion new trees", in addition to the annual forest planting target, Nghe An province has determined to plant at least 50 million more trees in the period of 2021 - 2025. Along with that are efforts and solutions to better protect and develop existing forests and trees.

With sincere thanks for the meaningful gift of trees from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee called on all levels, sectors, localities, units and people in the province to actively respond and participate in the effective implementation of the Program of planting 1 billion trees - For a green Vietnam and activities of planting trees, afforestation and environmental protection.

“We believe that the enthusiastic atmosphere of the 1 billion tree planting program - For a green Vietnam will be a good new beginning for the tree planting and forest planting movement and create a wide spread so that every cadre, party member, soldier of the armed forces and people in the province can join hands and contribute to tree planting and forest planting, creating a regular and continuous movement throughout society, so that our beloved homeland and country will develop greener, faster and more sustainably” - Comrade Nguyen Duc Trung said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc participated in tree planting activities with delegates and local people. Photo: Pham Bang

At the program, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented symbolic trees to the people of Nghe An province and participated in tree planting activities with delegates and local people.