Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the launch of a tree-planting festival on February 20 in the south-central province of Phu Yen to mark the start of the Lunar New Year and to launch activities aimed at planting one billion trees, as initiated by the Government chief.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the launch of a tree-planting festival
in the south-central province of Phu Yen

Upon addressing the ceremony, PM Phuc said that along with action plans for the agricultural sector and localities to preserve and expand the nation’s forests, the programme is expected to contribute to increasing green areas in barren hills, along with urban and rural areas across the country. Although the scheme is low cost, it is anticipated to yield great benefits.

He called on all Vietnamese people, including locals of Phu Yen, to become actively involved in the programme.

The PM also lauded Phu Yen’s efforts to plant 15 million new trees over the next five years.

Following the conclusion of the ceremony, PM Phuc planted trees in Phu Thanh ward of Tuy Hoa city in Phu Yen province. Green trees are also set to be planted in Thanh An Tho historical relic site in An Dan commune of Tuy An district, the homeland of Tran Phu, the first Party General Secretary. This is along with a relic site which commemorates President Ho Chi Minh in Son Hoa district.

During the 2016 to 2020 period, Phu Yen planted over 32,000 hectares of forests, with forest coverage expanding from 36.4% in 2015 to 45.09% in 2020.

In the year ahead, along with the implementation of the 15-million-tree programme, the province will strive to encourage locals to plant and take care of green trees, with the aim of achieving forest coverage to 46%.

At the ceremony, many companies and investors, including the budget carrier Vietjet Air, made a commitment to present billions of VND to the tree-planting programme of Phu Yen.

In November, 2020, speaking during a National Assembly session, PM Phuc put forward a scheme to plant one billion green trees over a five-year period to 2025. On December 31, 2020, he signed a directive on the organisation of the tree-planting festival, whilst pledging to strengthen forest protection and development from the beginning of this year.

He has also requested that ministers, heads of ministry-level agencies, and the People’s Committee of centrally-run cities and provinces, hold the festival in commemoration of President Ho Chi Minh, who inspired the tree planting festival.

Within the framework of the scheme, PM Phuc donated a number of green trees to Phu Yen province, with provincial leaders being granted support from some businesses in support of the one billion green tree planting programme, with the total amount of more than VND5 billion.