Phu Yen Hundreds of people from Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa flocked to Deo Ca special-use forest to search for agarwood after rumors that someone "hit the jackpot" and earned 10 billion VND.
Over the past few days, hundreds of young people from Dong Hoa town (Phu Yen) and Van Ninh district (Khanh Hoa) have been carrying hoes and crowbars, traveling dozens of kilometers into Deo Ca special-use forest to dig day and night to find ky nam (a special, rare type of agarwood in nature).
According to people near Deo Ca, about 10 days ago, there was a rumor that someone had "hit the jackpot" in the special-use forest and had sold it for 10 billion VND. Many people believed it and went to the mountain to find agarwood in the hope of changing their lives. Some people dug day and night, flattening a large area, leaving the surrounding area in disarray, with fallen trees lying around.
Many people go up the mountain in Deo Ca area to look for agarwood. Photo: Manh Phong
Mr. Nguyen Le Vi Phuc, Chairman of Dong Hoa town, Phu Yen, said that he had directed the authorities to disperse the group of people searching for agarwood to stabilize the security and order situation in the Deo Ca special-use forest area (in Hoa Xuan Nam commune, Dong Hoa town).
A representative of Dong Hoa Town Police said that after verification, the rumor that agarwood worth nearly 10 billion VND was dug up was unfounded. "Today, the situation in Deo Ca protective forest has stabilized again," this person said.
Regarding the incident, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Yen has issued an official dispatch requesting relevant units to prevent and strictly punish those who illegally enter the forest to cut down and search for agarwood; at the same time, investigate those who spread rumors and handle them according to regulations.
According to Mr. Bien Quoc Dung, Chairman of Khanh Hoa Agarwood Association, agarwood was formed after hundreds to thousands of years, and only appears in Vietnam. One kilogram of agarwood costs about 30 billion VND.
"Finding a small piece of agarwood about the size of a finger joint is extremely difficult. Nowadays, this type of agarwood is almost non-existent in nature," said Mr. Dung.
Bui Toan
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