Hanoi, February 15 (Prensa Latina) Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong today praised the country's reforestation efforts as he opened the tree planting festival in honor of independence hero Ho Chi Minh.
This initiative of Uncle Ho, which originated more than six decades ago, has become a tradition, a custom and a cultural beauty, as well as a movement that brings great benefits to the country, the president emphasized.
Van Thuong said that this movement has contributed to protecting the ecological environment and landscape, responding to climate change, promoting socio-economic development and improving the quality of life of residents.
The Vietnamese head of state pointed out that as of last year, 260,000 hectares of concentrated planted forests and 127 million scattered trees had been registered, and the forest cover rate was over 42 percent.
In a context characterized by increasingly severe global climate change and reduced biodiversity, Vietnam's consistent policies focus on promoting sustainable development and responding to these issues to build a green, circular and environmentally friendly economy.
Vietnam, Van Thuong confirmed according to the VNA news agency, is gradually fulfilling its strong commitments to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with the support of developed countries on technology and financial issues.
Therefore, the task of protecting the environment, planting trees and protecting forests is becoming increasingly important, he emphasized.
At the event itself, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Quoc Tri emphasized that nearly 770 million trees were planted in the country in 2021-2023, in response to the project to plant a billion trees in 2021-2025.
jf/mpm