Party General Secretary To Lam and other Party, State and Hanoi leaders plant trees on the grounds of the Vietnam Communist Party Museum project in Hanoi.

This year's campaign was held simultaneously across 126 communes and wards citywide and livestreamed to four sites, including the main venue at the Vietnam Communist Party Museum, a Ministry of National Defense venue at Infantry Regiment 692 under Division 301 of the Hanoi Capital Command in Doai Phuong Commune, a Ministry of Public Security venue at Ha Dong Ward Police headquarters and a venue in Dong Anh Commune.

Attending the main venue were To Lam, Party General Secretary; Tran Sy Thanh, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Party Central Inspection Commission; Le Minh Tri, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Party Central Internal Affairs Commission; and Pham Gia Tuc, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Party Central Office.

Also present were Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Minister of National Defense and Army General; Luong Tam Quang, Politburo member, Minister of Public Security and Army General; Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee; Tran Duc Thang, Politburo member and Minister of Agriculture and Environment; Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Prime Minister; and Vu Hong Thanh, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly.

Also in attendance were leaders of central ministries and agencies, Hanoi leaders, representatives of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security and representatives of Hanoi departments, agencies, units and localities.

Party General Secretary To Lam and delegates attend the Tree Planting Festival launch for the Lunar New Year of the Horse.

In his directive remarks and launch address, Party Chief To Lam sent New Year greetings to veteran officials, delegates and people in Hanoi and across the country and wished for a new year marked by a new mindset, new momentum, new determination and new victories.

Party Chief To Lam speaks at the launch of the "Tree Planting Festival, Forever Grateful to Uncle Ho" for the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026.

He recalled that on the first day of the Lunar New Year in Canh Ty, January 11, 1960, late President Ho Chi Minh planted a banyan tree at Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi to formally launch the Tree Planting Festival, expressing the wish that spring should be a time to plant trees so the country would become ever more springlike and noting that the activity costs little but brings great benefits.

Over 66 years of carrying out the movement, he said, Vietnam has changed visibly, with once-barren hills greener, forests restored and more shade in rural areas and cities. Forest cover has increased and environmental protection has gradually become a familiar practice for many people, while the Tree Planting Festival has taken root in daily life as a traditional cultural feature and a broad mass movement that delivers major benefits, he said.

While noting progress in environmental protection, the party chief said many tasks still lie ahead as climate change intensifies, disasters become more complex and forests in some places remain under threat.

He said tree planting should continue on a larger scale and in greater numbers and it must go hand in hand with care for trees and forest protection. Each locality should choose the right trees, plant them in the right places and manage them consistently and over the long term, he said, stressing the need to nurture love of nature in every person, especially the younger generation.

He said the launch carried added significance as it was held at the Vietnam Communist Party Museum, a site preserving the Party’s glorious history, and called on Hanoi’s Party organizations, authorities and residents to fully grasp and effectively implement several key tasks.

First, he said, the city must move decisively from awareness to real action and avoid showy or wasteful launches, with the principle that every tree planted must survive and grow well. 

"Tree planting must be aligned with planning and linked to the development of green, smart and modern urban infrastructure, he said, calling for strict action against token efforts that waste public resources," said Lam.

Second, he said building a "Cultured, Civilized and Modern" capital must begin with the living environment. Hanoi should lead the country in green space per capita and in green public spaces, he said, adding that Party committees and authorities must treat the development of trees and water surfaces as a core task in capital planning and should not sacrifice green space for unsustainable commercial projects, aiming for Hanoi to become a "city in the forest and a forest in the city."

Third, he said the campaign should spread a sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute. Every official, Party member and resident, especially young people, should treat planting and caring for trees as a practical way to follow Uncle Ho's example and as a responsibility to the community and future generations, he said, linking the effort to Vietnam's international commitments on emissions reductions and climate response.

General Secretary To Lam said that with the renewed momentum of the Lunar New Year of the Horse and with strong political resolve and public unity, he believed this year's Tree Planting Festival would deliver practical results and help make Hanoi greener, cleaner and more beautiful. He also called for Hanoi's tree planting movement to quickly spread nationwide so the country can enjoy endless green from trees, flowers and life.

Speaking on behalf of Hanoi's Party organization, authorities and people, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Duy Ngoc thanked the General Secretary for his strategic guidance on sustainable development and ecological environmental protection for the capital and said Hanoi would seriously absorb his directions.

Ngoc said the guidance serves as a strategic reminder for Hanoi's development path in the 21st century, where growth must go hand in hand with protecting nature, modernization must be linked with cultural identity and development must ultimately aim at people's happiness.

In response to the call, Ngoc said Hanoi views the Tree Planting Festival not only as an early-spring activity but as a regular long-term task. He said tree planting must be tied to planning, protection and care within the broader strategy for green urban development, green growth and improved air quality.

He said the city is determined to create a green environment of "forest in the city and city in the forest" with a 100-year vision and beyond, focusing on greening streets, gateways, new urban areas and rural areas, forming ecological belts, gradually raising green space per capita and managing citywide tree data so residents can enjoy a cleaner, safer and more livable environment.

Ngoc said that as climate change becomes more evident and air quality remains a top public concern, each tree planted today is an "ecological shield" for Hanoi tomorrow.

He thanked the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense for supporting the city with tens of thousands of trees and said Hanoi will work closely with armed forces in the city to spread planting, care and protection of trees while linking green urban development with a strong national defense and security posture. He added that each official, Party member, agency, unit and resident should serve as a "green ambassador" through daily actions so today's green becomes a lasting asset for future generations.

In the first phase of the spring tree planting drive through the end of March 2026, the city aims to plant 80,000 to 100,000 trees. Hanoi also targets about 400,000 trees in 2026 and localities, departments, agencies and mass organizations have so far registered a total of 432,430 trees of various kinds.