VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s largest city plans to grown one million trees, equivalent to 976 hectares, this year, in a bid to expand the green area in the city.



Specifically, the city will plant 620,000 trees, equivalent to 334 hectares, at parks, forest and along canals and rivers. Local organization and individuals will grow nearly 380,000 trees, equivalent to 643.4 hectares, using the city’s budget and social sources.

The city has called for its residents to join the tree planting campaign.

On May 26, a tree planting ceremony will be held in the city.

In 1998, Vietnam set the target of restoring its forest cover by planting 5 million hectares of trees by 2010 – 2 million for reserves and 3 million for wood production.

Thanks to this project, the country’s forest coverage increased to 46.4 percent in 2010, while the wood processing and timber industries' export turn-over jumped to US$3.55 billion in 2010. The developments have also created employment for about 4.6 million workers, most of whom come from poor households or ethnic minority people from highland areas.

Between 1998-2010, the State budget allocated an estimated VND7.28 trillion ($346.7 million) for the project and would expect to spend another VND14.6 trillion ($695 million) between 2011-20 for forest protection and further extension of forest cover.

Last year, Vietnam planted 212,000ha of forest.

Thanh Van