Bustling spring reforestation

"Spring is the time for planting trees / Making the country ever more vibrant and beautiful." This is a quote from President Ho Chi Minh when he launched the first Tree Planting Festival in 1959. Following his teachings, in the early days of the new year, people from cities to rural areas enthusiastically plant trees, creating a beautiful tradition, a unique springtime custom, bringing immense value for today and future generations. For them, this spring has a more special meaning than ever before.

In a place where "wealth lies in the mountains and forests"

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thanh, Party Secretary and Head of Khe Loong Ngoai village, Thanh Son commune, Ba Che district, planted a Gmelina tree.

On February 3rd (the 6th day of the Lunar New Year), the forests throughout the district were bustling with the sounds of people chatting from dawn. Along the road from the district to the forest belonging to Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thanh, Party Secretary and Head of Khe Loong Ngoai village (Thanh Son commune, Ba Che district), despite the increasingly heavy spring rain, we easily encountered the villagers busily planting new saplings such as acacia, cinnamon, and mahogany. For these people, the forests have long been considered their "second home," something to protect and care for. Therefore, this spring is even more special for them because it marks the first tree-planting season after typhoon number 3.

Mr. Thanh's forest is located not far from Provincial Road 330, which leads from the district center to the village. After a few minutes' walk, we arrived at his forest. We met Mr. Thanh while he was planting mahogany trees. Stopping his work, Mr. Thanh shared: "For nearly five months now, since the storm, my family has been starting work at dawn, before we can even see each other's faces clearly, trying to do as much as we can. The storm destroyed our family's forest, leaving only a few cinnamon and mahogany trees alive. Everything has to be rebuilt, and we don't have much capital left. Hiring laborers to clear the forest, or traders to buy the fallen trees... is extremely difficult. So, we're trying our best to do as much as possible, and our parents, siblings, and children are helping out with their labor and resources. Therefore, taking advantage of the favorable weather, we immediately started planting trees in the spring to revive the forest as soon as possible."

People in Ba Chẽ enthusiastically plant trees at the beginning of spring.

Ba Chẽ is the locality with the largest total area of forest and forest land in the province, with nearly 57,000 hectares, accounting for 93.4% of the total natural area. For many years, forestry has provided jobs, income, and profits for the people here to make a living, raise their children, and accumulate wealth.

However, Typhoon No. 3 devastated the foresters here. Overcoming difficulties, with willpower, determination, and diligent hands, the people here are still and will continue to be attached to the forest. "Even after Typhoon No. 3, seeing the devastation of the forest after the storm, when we had nothing left, we never thought about abandoning the forest, but only planned how to rebuild. We consider gain and loss as the ups and downs of our profession; we accept it, we will revive it, and the forest will become green again. Just love the forest, love nature, and the forest will repay you handsomely," said Ms. Ninh Thi Hoa , Khe Put Ngoai village (Thanh Son commune). confirm.

To ensure the forests will flourish again, this year the biggest goal in Ba Chẽ district's concentrated reforestation plan is to repair, rebuild, and restore the forest areas damaged by Typhoon Yagi . In the not-too-distant future, these barren forests will be re-greened with new, more vibrant and lush trees.

Mr. Khieu Anh Tu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Che District, said: To restore the forest after the storm, this year Ba Che District strives to plant 5,000 hectares of concentrated forest, including 100 hectares of large timber forests of species such as ironwood, teak, and mahogany. Therefore, the district has proactively propagated, mobilized, and supported people in clearing forests damaged by the storm, preparing forest areas for planting, and actively sowing seedlings. In particular, the district has completed the payment of support according to the regulations of the province to 2,445 households whose forests were damaged by the storm, covering an area of over 13,000 hectares and a total amount of over 43 billion VND, thereby helping people have more capital to resume production and regenerate forests after the storm, raising forest cover to nearly 56%.

Then the forest will turn green again.

Comrade Trinh Thi Minh Thanh, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Council, along with leaders of Ha Long City, planted trees on the meteorological hill (Bai Chay ward, Ha Long City). Photo: Manh Truong

Typhoon No. 3 caused damage to over 128,800 hectares of forest throughout the province, including over 112,800 hectares of planted forest and over 16,000 hectares of natural forest. Many forests were destroyed, broken, and felled, resulting in significant losses for the forestry sector. These figures demonstrate the severe damage caused to the forestry industry by Typhoon No. 3.

Without lamenting, waiting, or relying on others, the people of Quang Ninh have leveraged their internal strengths, overcome the damage, and are gradually restoring production in a powerful manner.

Ba Chẽ district aims to plant 5,000 hectares of new concentrated forest in 2025.

The province has directed localities and units to immediately develop and implement support policies for forest owners, and to urgently develop a plan for the reconstruction of the forestry sector, restoration of urban greenery, and landscape restoration, linked with restructuring crop patterns towards sustainability. With this impetus, people immediately began harvesting fallen trees from production forests, clearing the sites, focusing on effective forest fire prevention, preparing seedlings, and ensuring the site is ready to plant new trees for the next season.

Entering 2025, the province aims to plant 31,847 hectares of concentrated forest, including 2,724 hectares of protective forest and 29,123 hectares of production forest. This is an unprecedented figure, 2.4 times higher than the 2024 forest planting target, demonstrating the province's strong determination in developing and restoring forestry production after the storm. Therefore, from the very beginning of the spring planting season, the province launched the Tree Planting Festival in localities, agencies, and units throughout the province. The Tree Planting Festival has long become a major event, a unique traditional cultural feature of Vietnam that our people have preserved, developed, and spread. For Quang Ninh, this year's Tree Planting Festival has even greater significance. This year's Tree Planting Festival marks the beginning of the spring forest planting season and contributes significantly to the regeneration of forests after the storm.

People in Hai Lang commune, Tien Yen district, are growing seedlings.

In the vibrant atmosphere of the early days of the new year, people throughout the province enthusiastically planted trees with overflowing hope. On the very first day of the new year, localities and units across the province planted more than 112,000 trees covering an area equivalent to 112 hectares.

Mr. Giap The Hoa, from Ban Cau village (Luc Hon commune, Binh Lieu district), said: "After typhoon No. 3, my family received over 13 million VND in support from the province and local authorities. With this money, along with our family's own capital, this spring we will plant about 40,000 acacia, mahogany, and cinnamon trees, ensuring that we reforest the entire area of forest damaged by the typhoon this season."

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Minh, Standing Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Long City, said: To create motivation to encourage people to actively join hands in restoring the forest area affected by Typhoon No. 3, the city organized the launching ceremony of the Spring Tree Planting Festival 2025 at the meteorological hill area, Bai Chay ward - one of the many areas damaged and with trees broken after Typhoon No. 3 - with more than 2,000 crape myrtle, flamboyant, bauhinia trees combined with flowering trees and pine trees planted on an area of more than 1.6 hectares. In addition, the city directed 31 communes and wards to simultaneously organize the Tree Planting Festival with large timber trees and native trees in the headwaters of irrigation works, drinking water, protective forests, and special-use forests, contributing to "greening" the forests and striving to achieve the goal of planting over 21,500 hectares of forest by 2025.

Walking among the newly planted trees, listening to stories of overcoming storms, preserving forests, and regenerating them, we came to understand even more deeply the love of those who are always deeply concerned about the forest. They are from different ethnic groups, different localities, and their paths to forest planting are not the same, but they all share a common, intense love. For them, each tree planted, cared for, and protected is not only an expression of love for nature, but also a priceless gift for generations to come.

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