TL;DR: Tết trồng cây was launched by President Ho Chi Minh through an article signed with the pen name Trần Lực, published in Báo Nhân Dân on 28/11/1959, calling for a day of tree planting at Tết. The movement was embraced by the whole people for the first time during Tết Nguyên đán Canh Tý in 1960 and became a custom each time spring returns. After the country was reunified, Tết trồng cây has still been held every spring; the launch ceremony for Xuân Ất Tỵ 2025 took place in Ninh Bình.
When did President Ho Chi Minh launch Tết trồng cây?
Tết trồng cây was launched by President Ho Chi Minh in 1959. Specifically, on 28 November 1959, he wrote an article titled Tết trồng cây, signed with the pen name Trần Lực, published in Báo Nhân Dân, proposing the organisation of a tree planting festival day[1][2].
In that article, he wrote: "For some time now, enterprises, construction sites, agencies, schools, army units, agricultural cooperatives and so on have been enthusiastically emulating one another to mark the Party's 30th anniversary", and proposed: "Alongside that emulation drive, we propose organising a Tết trồng cây day. This costs little but brings great benefit"[1][2].
He also gave specific figures: the North then had about 14 million people, of whom 3 million were young children, while the remaining 11 million aged 8 and over could all plant trees, meaning each Tết about 15 million trees could be planted; from 1960 to 1965, the last five years of the first five-year plan, there would be 90 million trees[2].
Responding to that call, the whole population carried out the first Tết trồng cây during Tết Nguyên đán Canh Tý 1960. From then on, every time spring came, people again organised Tết trồng cây following his words[1][2].
Why is it called Tết trồng cây rather than an ordinary annual campaign?
The name comes from the 1959 article itself: he proposed a Tết trồng cây day to mark the founding anniversary of the Party, with each person in the North taking charge of planting one or a few trees and caring for them well[2]. The first Tết trồng cây was carried out at Tết Nguyên đán Canh Tý 1960[1][2].
By 1969, in the article Tết trồng cây published in Báo Nhân Dân on 5 February, he affirmed: Tết trồng cây is the opening day for tree planting throughout the whole year, and has become a fine custom of our people[1][2].
Both Báo Nhân Dân articles quote his verse: "Mùa xuân là Tết trồng cây, Làm cho đất nước càng ngày càng xuân"[1][2].
Key milestones of the movement across periods
The table below summarises the milestones recorded in Ho Chi Minh's two articles and in Báo Nhân Dân review articles:
| Time | Event | Main content |
|---|---|---|
| 28/11/1959 | Article Tết trồng cây, pen name Trần Lực, Báo Nhân Dân | Proposal to organise a tree planting festival day, calculation of planting scale |
| Tết Canh Tý 1960 | First Tết trồng cây | Whole population responded, beginning the custom every spring |
| 5/2/1969 | Second Tết trồng cây article, Báo Nhân Dân | Stated achievements, called for planting trees for southern compatriots as well |
| After 1975 | Movement maintained nationwide | Held under names such as Tết trồng cây làm theo lời Bác, Tết trồng cây đời đời nhớ ơn Bác |
In the 1969 article, he called: "We must plant trees for our southern compatriots as well. This year, we emulate to plant trees really well, we must ensure that every tree planted thrives, and organise a Tết trồng cây to win victory over the American aggressors[1][2]."
Also according to this article, over the preceding years, according to reports of the General Department of Forestry, the people had planted tens of thousands of hectares of various trees on hills, flats, gardens, along roadsides and on canal banks[2].
How is Tết trồng cây organised today?
After national reunification, according to Báo Nhân Dân, people across the country have kept holding Tết trồng cây làm theo lời Bác and Tết trồng cây đời đời nhớ ơn Bác every spring[1][2]. The launch ceremony of spring Ất Tỵ 2025 in Ninh Bình is one such occasion.
On the morning of 31 January 2025, the third day of the first lunar month of the year Ất Tỵ, General Secretary Tô Lâm attended the Launch Ceremony of Tết trồng cây Đời đời nhớ ơn Bác Hồ Xuân Ất Tỵ 2025 at Đinh Tiên Hoàng Đế Square, Hoa Lư city, Ninh Bình province[3].
Speaking at the ceremony, the General Secretary stressed that more than 65 years earlier, on 28 November 1959, President Ho Chi Minh wrote the article Tết trồng cây published in Báo Nhân Dân under the pen name Trần Lực, calling on everyone, every household, every organisation and locality to actively emulate planting and caring for trees; since then, every spring, Tết trồng cây has truly become a festival of the whole Party, people and army[3].
The General Secretary also asked Ninh Bình province to strive to become a model of green, harmonious and sustainable growth, based on close combination of socio-economic development with preservation of cultural heritage, environmental protection and natural landscape; and noted that ministries and sectors, especially the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, need to coordinate and strengthen supervision and direction of localities to effectively carry out the tree planting movement[3].
How does Tết trồng cây differ from Tết trồng người?
Tết trồng người is a phrase from the headline of a Báo Nhân Dân article published in February 2019. Its author set the phrase beside Tết trồng cây because in spring 1969 Ho Chi Minh wrote two articles in Báo Nhân Dân two days apart: Nâng cao đạo đức cách mạng, quét sạch chủ nghĩa cá nhân (3 February) and Tết trồng cây (5 February)[1]. The article also recalls what he often said: for the benefit of ten years, plant trees; for the benefit of a hundred years, cultivate people[1].
According to a Báo Nhân Dân review article, in leading the revolution, Ho Chi Minh never once used the concept Tết trồng người, but trồng người in the sense of building good people in general and building cadres and Party members worthy of being true revolutionary fighters was something he cared for throughout his life[1].
In the work Nâng cao đạo đức cách mạng, quét sạch chủ nghĩa cá nhân published in Báo Nhân Dân on 3 February 1969, he wrote: "Our people often say: Party members go first, the village follows. That is a sincere compliment to our Party members and cadres[1]."
Why does Tết trồng cây still hold meaning today?
The 1959 article counted on fruit trees, flowering trees and trees for house posts, and wrote that within ten years the country's scenery would grow ever more beautiful and timber more plentiful[2]. The 2018 Báo Nhân Dân article links Tết trồng cây with protecting the living environment and responding to climate change, and regards planting and protecting forests as one of the most effective measures[2].
In the 1969 article, he wrote: "Today all our compatriots clearly understand that planting forest trees brings great benefit to the economy and national defence." The Báo Nhân Dân article goes on to say that tree planting was increasingly directed at practical needs such as timber, fruit trees, windbreaks serving intensive rice cultivation, protecting dykes, enclosing hills, and preventing erosion and drifting sand[2].
Speaking at the 2025 launch ceremony, General Secretary Tô Lâm stressed that Tết trồng cây is not only an activity with deep traditional meaning, but also a concrete, practical action to fulfil Vietnam's strong commitments before the international community and to implement the national strategy on climate change, towards a green planet and the country's rapid and sustainable development[3].
Some frequently asked questions about the timeline
Two milestones are easily confused: 1959 is the year the article was published, while 1960 is the year the first Tết trồng cây was carried out. 1969 is the year of the second article; a Vietnam News Agency archive photo printed with the Báo Nhân Dân article records him joining Tết trồng cây with the people of Vật Lại commune, Ba Vì, former Hà Tây province (now part of Hà Nội), on 16 February 1969[1][2].
The counting of the number of springs of Tết trồng cây also rests on the 1960 milestone: a Báo Nhân Dân review article in 2018 recorded that Xuân Mậu Tuất 2018 was the 58th spring of Tết trồng cây, and Xuân Canh Tý 2020 would be the 60th[2].
