Nestled amidst a residential area, surrounded by a convenient network of inter-village and inter-commune roads, this small forest is actually a family garden owned by six siblings of Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao (born in 1949, residing in Ha Tien village).
Over the years, in order to preserve the lush, verdant forest that helps protect against natural disasters and storms, and safeguard lives, nearly four generations of Mrs. Dao's family have devoted much effort and dedication to caring for, preserving, protecting, and replanting the forest.
Sharing with us, Ms. Dao said that this forest has existed for a long time, and was later taken over, cared for, protected, and developed by her grandfather, Mr. Nguyen Van Cau.
After Mr. Cau passed away, his six sons continued to look after the forest.
After decades of caring for the forest, these children passed away one by one, and the forest was handed over to the next generation of descendants to continue caring for and protecting it.
"For generations, my family has maintained the tradition of taking turns guarding and protecting the forest, from replanting, caring for, and enriching the vegetation, to fire prevention and control, and preventing acts of vandalism against the trees," Ms. Dao shared.
According to Ms. Dao, the neighbors in the village and commune are also very conscious and work together with her family to protect and preserve the forest, which is why we have such a valuable forest today.
Ms. Dao said that the forest covers an area of about 2 hectares and contains many types of valuable timber trees, about 15-40 meters tall, with lush branches and leaves, typical examples being the sour wood tree, the dổi wood tree, the chò chỉ wood tree, the trẹo wood tree, the sang wood tree, the bời lời wood tree, the gõ wood tree, the cẩm lai wood tree, the mít wood tree, etc.
Among them are many ancient trees, some hundreds of years old, with trunks so large that it would take 2-3 people to encircle them.
Over the years, many people from both within and outside the locality have come to their home, offering high prices to buy these valuable trees, but Mrs. Dao and her brothers have refused to sell or cut them down.
Everyone is determined to protect and preserve this forest as a treasure, viewing it as an indispensable part of life that their ancestors have left for future generations.
“Over the years, the forest has contributed significantly to shielding against natural disasters and storms, protecting the lives of families and people in Ha Tien village; creating a clean and peaceful ecological environment. It is also an ideal space for many species of wild birds to migrate and take refuge,” Ms. Dao said.
Speaking with us, Ms. Bui Thi Bay, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Duc Thinh commune, said that previously, in Ha Tien village, many households also owned some areas of large timber forests, but later they cleared them and converted the land for other purposes.
Currently, only the siblings and descendants of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dao's family remain determined to care for, protect, and preserve the vast forest, with its many valuable and ancient trees, which thrive and have become the "green lung" for the entire area.
The Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Duc Thinh commune shared: "The forest has also contributed to maintaining groundwater levels, providing shade, preventing storms, and creating a habitat. The locality highly appreciates the good and meaningful work of Ms. Dao's family in protecting and preserving the green environment of the forest."
>> Some images of the ancient forest located in the middle of the residential area of Ha Tien village:
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/giu-rung-cay-co-thu-giua-khu-dan-cu-post818413.html
