Hyundai Motor, IUCN collaborate on Vietnamese forest restoration initiative

[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor]

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. has taken a step toward environmental conservation by joining forces with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for a vital forest restoration initiative in Vietnam.

The carmaker’s Vietnamese joint venture HTV and the IUCN, along with Seoul-based development non-governmental organization Good Neighbors International, signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday for the mangrove tree forest project in Ca Mau province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, according to the company’s press release.

Through the partnership, Hyundai will plant mangrove trees with the aim of restoring damaged forests in the area over the next three years, with the company intending to plant about 120,000 trees during the project’s first year.

The signing ceremony was attended by Oh In-won, head of Hyundai Motor’s Vietnam Business Unit, Jake Brunner, head of IUCN Vietnam, and Park Dong-chul, head of Good Neighbors Vietnam.

Mangroves grow in wetlands where fresh and salt water meet, thus acting as natural sea walls when planted together.

This initiative in Vietnam aligns with Hyundai’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship. The automaker has actively engaged in various tree planting projects via its partnerships since 2016, all under the banner of its “Ioniq Forest” program.