Celebrating Tet by planting trees in remembrance of Uncle Ho.

(Baonghean)- The Tree Planting Festival is a traditional, practical, and highly meaningful activity that has been maintained for over 50 springs, since President Ho Chi Minh's call in the spring of 1960. It has truly become a beautiful custom of our people during the joyful Tet holiday and the welcoming of spring.

On the morning of February 18th, in the warm spring weather, a large number of people from Vinh City and provincial leaders attended the Tree Planting Festival: "Forever Grateful to Uncle Ho," held in Nghi Phu commune, Vinh City. Everyone exchanged New Year's greetings and expressed their joy at participating in this meaningful event at the beginning of the year – the Tree Planting Festival. Mr. Nguyen Cong Huan, from Hamlet 14, Nghi Phu commune, along with his fellow elderly people, attended the ceremony. At 71 years old, having experienced countless ups and downs in life, Mr. Huan's cheerful and benevolent eyes and smile as he spoke conveyed his joy and confidence in the new spring and the country's new opportunities. Even his hometown of Nghi Phu is undergoing significant transformation. Many new, wide, and well-maintained roads have been built, and modern, convenient urban areas have sprung up. Today, upon hearing the news that the Spring Tree Planting Ceremony was being held on both sides of the Vinh-Cua Lo Boulevard, a wide 72-meter road that is a highlight of a modern, developing, and vibrant Vinh city, Mr. Huan and his friends came to witness the rows of green trees being planted along the sidewalks. “The road passing through Nghi Phu commune is a driving force for the development of the entire commune, befitting its status as an administrative unit within Vinh City – a first-class urban area. Witnessing our homeland's transformation, elderly people like us are very happy. Because our homeland is becoming more beautiful, we also have a place to walk, exercise, and stroll under the shade of the black star trees along both sides of this boulevard,” Mr. Huan shared.

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



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

Also present at the ceremony were 600 students from Nghi Phu Secondary School, dressed in neat uniforms, along with their teachers. The joyful eyes and innocent smiles of the children added to the enthusiasm for the Spring Tree Planting Festival in the Year of the Snake. "For the benefit of ten years, plant trees; for the benefit of a hundred years, cultivate people" – deeply imbued with President Ho Chi Minh's profound teachings, today, the Party and State are continuously striving to care for education, equipping children with the necessary tools to confidently enter life, including the precious asset of the glorious history of the Vietnamese nation. Nguyen Thi Thao Trang, a 9th-grade student from Nghi Phu Secondary School, and her classmates were very happy to participate in this Spring Tree Planting Festival. Through this, they gained a deeper understanding of the history and significance of the Tree Planting Festival. “We still participate in taking care of and maintaining the school grounds to keep them green, clean, and beautiful. But attending a big event like today makes the spring season even more meaningful. Ultimately, I realize that protecting the environment and building a green, clean, and beautiful city is the shared responsibility of everyone. We, as young people, are doing our small part to contribute to building a prosperous and beautiful homeland,” Thảo Trang shared.

For over 50 years – a long journey spanning two centuries – unlike the Spring of 1960, when the Tree Planting Festival was only held in the North, since the reunification of the country, 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, ensuring that Vietnam remains a nation of "golden forests and silver seas." In keeping with this spirit, this year, in the spirit of economy, practicality, and high social participation in the Tree Planting Festival, the province only organized the launching ceremony in Vinh City, after which the districts organized the Tree Planting Festival and launched reforestation campaigns. "According to the provincial plan, we are aiming for 15,000 hectares, but we are striving to exceed the target. This is because the area of ​​land to be planted this year is relatively large, and preparations have been completed," said Mr. Nguyen Tien Lam, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

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

Following the province's directive, on the morning of February 18th, a vibrant atmosphere of tree planting activities took place throughout the province. At Nghe An Newspaper – the Party newspaper staff in President Ho Chi Minh's hometown – had a very meaningful first working day of the year. From early morning, from the Editor-in-Chief to all the reporters and staff, they offered incense at the newspaper's traditional room, and went to Kim Lien, Nam Dan to offer flowers and incense to the spirit of President Ho Chi Minh; then they carried out the tree planting campaign, planting 10 black star trees in the newspaper's editorial office grounds. At the Office of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province, from the early morning of the 9th day of Tet, from Vinh City, the staff and employees 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 campaign. Everyone was excited to contribute a small part "for the benefit of 10 years of tree planting"; also demonstrating a small act of learning from and following the moral example of President Ho Chi Minh. Mr. Nguyen Huu Truong, Chief of the Office of the National Assembly Delegation and the Provincial People's Council, said: "This is a traditional activity of the Office for the past 5 years. Every first working day after Tet, the staff, specialists, and employees of the Office organize a tree planting event. This time, in addition to planting 10 new magnolia trees, we also focused on caring for many valuable trees that were planted in previous years at the cemetery and have now grown very beautiful, such as night-blooming jasmine and golden shower trees..."

Implementing the "Planting Trees in Remembrance of Uncle Ho" campaign, in recent years, Nghe An province has consistently prioritized and promoted reforestation efforts. Natural forests throughout the province are well managed and protected; the area, productivity, and quality of planted forests have increased, and the province's forest cover has recovered rapidly, reaching 54% of its natural area. Thanks to this, forestry has created new momentum and strength for the development of the province's agricultural and forestry economy, contributing to environmental protection, climate change adaptation, and the construction of green, clean, and beautiful urban areas. The Tree Planting Festival is now not only a culturally significant tradition but also brings immense environmental and economic benefits. Also on the first working day of the new year, at a meeting to assess the situation before, during, and after the traditional Lunar New Year, Provincial Party Secretary Phan Dinh Trac emphasized: In addition to tree planting activities by leaders at all levels, mass organizations such as farmers' associations, women's associations, the Youth Union, and schools should pay attention to organizing their members and students to participate in planting new trees. At the same time, they should take good care of and protect the planted trees so that the "Tree Planting Festival" movement initiated by President Ho Chi Minh is truly practical and effective.

Thanh Duy - Mai Hoa