The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee on February 9 launched the 2014 Tet tree-planting festival for young people in Chi Linh town, northern Hai Duong province.

The launching ceremony, with the participation of 1,500 local Youth Union members and young people, aims to effectuate late President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching “For the sake of 10 years’ benefit, we must plant trees; for the sake of 100 years’ benefit, we must cultivate people” and raise public awareness of environmental protection and climate change response.

First Secretary of the committee Nguyen Dac Vinh suggested Youth Union branches at all levels, their members and teenagers nationwide join afforestation and protecting the environment.

In response to the festival, the Regent Garment Factory Limited offered 120,000 trees while the Chi Linh town People’s Committee granted 500 million VND (23,500 USD) to support Tet tree-planting in the locality.

Following the ceremony, participating delegates planted 83 Sao (Hopea) trees to mark the 83 rd founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and 300 other trees in memory of Chu Van An, a well-known scholar and teacher during the time of feudalism in Vietnam, at his temple.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has reported that 227,000 hectares of land nationwide were covered with trees in 2013.

Afforestation and forest protection have become an urgent priority in both the short and long terms as deforestation and eco-system destruction has made the country suffer from strong storms and floods in recent years.-VNA