Happy Tet, plant trees to remember Uncle Ho

(Baonghean)- Tree planting festival is a traditional, practical and extremely meaningful activity that has been maintained for more than 50 springs, since the call of President Ho Chi Minh in the Spring of Canh Ty 1960. It has truly been a good custom of our people on the occasion of Tet and Spring.

On the morning of February 18, very early, in the warm spring weather, a large number of Vinh city people and provincial leaders attended the launching ceremony of the Tree Planting Festival: "Forever grateful to Uncle Ho" held in Nghi Phu commune, Vinh city. Everyone exchanged New Year greetings and expressed their joy at participating in a meaningful event at the beginning of the year - Tree Planting Festival. Mr. Nguyen Cong Huan - in hamlet 14, Nghi Phu commune, and his old friends attended the ceremony. At the age of 71, having experienced many ups and downs in life, now he has reached the age of seventy, but looking at Mr. Huan's eyes, happy and kind smile when talking, one can feel his joy and confidence in Spring, the new opportunities of the country. Not far away, right in his hometown Nghi Phu, has also changed day by day. Many new, spacious and airy roads have been built, and convenient and modern urban areas have sprung up. Today, knowing that the Spring Tree Planting Launch Ceremony was held on both sides of the sidewalk of Vinh - Cua Lo Avenue, the spacious 72m wide road is the highlight of a modern, developed, vibrant Vinh city, Mr. Huan and his friends came out to witness the rows of green trees planted along both sides of the sidewalk. "The road passing through Nghi Phu area is the driving force for the development of the whole commune, worthy of being an administrative unit in Vinh City - a class 1 urban area. "Witnessing the change of our homeland, old people like us are very happy. Because our homeland is becoming more and more beautiful, we also have a place to walk, exercise, and stroll under the shade of black star trees along both sides of this avenue", Mr. Huan shared.

Women of Dong Minh village, Chau Hanh Quy Chau commune plant trees at the beginning of the year.



Officials, reporters and staff of Nghe An Newspaper plant trees
within the editorial office

Also in the ceremony, there were 600 students of Nghi Phu Secondary School in neat uniforms, along with teachers attending the ceremony. The joyful eyes and youthful smiles of the students today added to the spirit of the tree planting campaign on the first day of the Year of the Snake. "For the benefit of ten years, plant trees, for the benefit of a hundred years, cultivate people" - imbued with the profound teachings of Uncle Ho, today, our Party and State are constantly making efforts to care for education, equipping students with full confidence to step into life, including the precious baggage of the long miles of glorious history of the Vietnamese people. Nguyen Thi Thao Trang - a 9th grade student of Nghi Phu Secondary School, and her friends were very happy to participate in the tree planting event at the beginning of this Spring. Through that, they learned more about the history and meaning of the tree planting day. “We still participate in taking care of and keeping the school campus green, clean, and beautiful. But attending a big event like today, I find spring even more meaningful. The last thing I realize is that protecting the environment and building a green, clean, and beautiful city is the common work and duty of everyone. We, young people, do small things, contributing to building a rich and beautiful homeland,” Thao Trang shared.

Over the past 50 years - a long journey spanning two centuries, unlike the Spring of the year Canh Ty 1960, the Tree Planting Festival has only been held in the North. Since the country's reunification, stretching from the northernmost point of Lung Cu, Ha Giang to the southernmost point of Ca Mau, the Tree Planting Festival has been cherished and preserved by generations of descendants, so that Vietnam will always be a country of "golden forests and silver seas". In the same spirit, this year, in the spirit of thrift, practicality, and high socialization in the Tree Planting Festival, the province only organized the launching ceremony in Vinh City, then the districts organized the Tree Planting Festival and started planting forests. "According to the plan, the province assigned 15,000 hectares, but we tried to exceed the target. Because the land area planted this year is relatively large and the preparation work has been completed", said Mr. Nguyen Tien Lam - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

People of Lau-Thach Giam village (Tuong Duong) plant trees in early spring.
Photo: Van Truong

Implementing the above policy of the province, also on the morning of February 18, the atmosphere of launching the Tree Planting Festival took place enthusiastically in the province. At Nghe An Newspaper - the party journalists in Uncle Ho's homeland had a very meaningful first working day of the year. From early morning, from the Editor-in-Chief to all reporters and staff came to offer incense at the Newspaper's traditional room, went to Kim Lien, Nam Dan to offer flowers and incense to the soul of President Ho Chi Minh; then deployed the Tree Planting Festival, planting 10 black star trees in the newspaper's editorial office. At the Office of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province, from early morning on the 9th day of Tet, from Vinh City, officers and staff of the Office made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan in Nam Giang commune (Nam Dan) to organize the Tree Planting Festival. Everyone was busy because they could contribute a small part "for the benefit of 10 years of tree planting"; also showing a small act of learning and following his moral example. Mr. Nguyen Huu Truong - Chief of Office of the National Assembly Delegation and Provincial People's Council, said: "This has been a traditional activity of the Office for the past 5 years. On the first working day after Tet, the officers, specialists and employees of the Office organize a tree planting festival. This time, in addition to planting 10 new magnolia trees, we also focused on taking care of many precious trees that were planted in previous years at the cemetery and have now grown very beautifully, such as jasmine trees, golden trumpet trees...".

Implementing the Tree Planting Festival "Forever grateful to Uncle Ho", in recent years, Nghe An province has always focused on and promoted the work of afforestation, natural forests in the whole province have been well managed and protected; the area, productivity and quality of planted forests have increased, the forest cover of the province has recovered rapidly, reaching 54% of the natural area to date. Thanks to that, forestry has been creating a new position and strength for the development of the province's agricultural and forestry economy, contributing to environmental protection, responding to climate change, and building green - clean - beautiful urban areas. Tree Planting Festival is now not only a meaningful cultural feature but also brings enormous environmental and economic benefits. Also on the first working day of spring, at the meeting to assess the situation before, during and after the traditional Tet holiday of the nation, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Phan Dinh Trac also emphasized: In addition to tree planting activities of leaders at all levels, mass organizations such as farmers, women, Youth Union and schools need to pay attention to organizing members and students to participate in planting new trees. At the same time, take good care of and protect the planted trees so that the "Tet Tree Planting" movement launched by Uncle Ho is truly practical and effective.

Thanh Duy - Mai Hoa