Party leader To Lam (sixth from left) attends the Lunar New Year Tree-Planting Festival, Hanoi, February 22, 2026.

Party leader Lam noted that 66 years after President Ho Chi Minh launched the “Tree-Planting Festival” on the first day of the 1960 Lunar New Year, the movement has become a fine cultural tradition and a widespread mass campaign. Planting one more tree, he said, means placing greater trust in the future.

He emphasized that as climate change grows more severe and natural disasters become increasingly complex, tree planting must continue on a broader scale alongside stronger forest protection.

Mr. Lam reiterated the consistent stance of the Party and State not to pursue economic development at the expense of the environment.

Party leader To Lam speaks at the 2026 Lunar New Year Tree-Planting Festival.

The General Secretary urged Hanoi to lead the country in green space per capita and public green areas. Authorities at all levels must regard the development of green spaces and water surfaces as a central task in the capital’s urban planning, truly making it a “city in the forest, forest in the city.” Hanoi’s tree-planting movement, he added, should spread nationwide so that the country is covered in the endless green of trees and flowers.

Hanoi aims to plant between 80,000 and 100,000 trees from now until the end of March, with a total target of around 400,000 trees in 2026.

During the campaign, the Ministry of National Defense plans to plant about 1.2 million trees, while the Ministry of Public Security targets over 3 million trees nationwide.