Rare, over 200-year-old Palm Tree Recognized as Vietnam Heritage Tree

The ancient Co Xe tree is located in the Nguyen village communal house, An Do commune, Binh Luc district, Ha Nam . The tree has a trunk of more than 1 meter, is up to 27 meters high, and is estimated to be over 200 years old.

The 27m-tall Co Xe tree next to Nguyen village's communal house, which is over 200 years old, has just been recognized as a Vietnamese Heritage Tree. (Photo courtesy of Ha Nam Newspaper)

According to the elders in Nguyen village, even the elders of the previous generation do not know exactly when the village's Palm tree was planted. Everyone only knows that many, many generations of Nguyen village children, since birth and growing up, have seen and become familiar with the image of the Palm tree standing tall next to the village communal house.

This Palm Tree, along with the villagers, has gone through many historical events and ups and downs; experienced many harsh conditions and changes in weather and time... The Palm Tree of Nguyen Village is still steadfast, firmly attached, and growing tall, a historical witness associated with the daily life, cultural and spiritual life of the villagers; becoming the nostalgia and love of the children of the homeland when they leave their homeland to make a living.

In early 2022, when researchers from the Center for Conservation of Religious Cultural Heritage and the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association discovered and guided the village's Festival Committee to prepare a dossier to request the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment to recognize the Vietnam Heritage Tree, in order to be better protected and cared for.

On January 6, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Sinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, visited Nguyen village temple and presented a certificate certifying the Co Xe tree as a Vietnamese heritage tree.

According to the reporter's research, the Split Palm is also known as the Split Palm or Split Leaf Palm. The tree belongs to the Arecaceae family. This is a tree species with a lifespan of 25 - 30 years, with some trees having a lifespan of up to 100 years. In Oriental medicine, Split Palm seeds are used to treat cancer of the nose, throat, esophagus, and leukemia. The roots are used to treat asthma and relieve pain.

In people's lives, palm trees are mainly grown in the northern provinces to get leaves to make brooms for sweeping yards, roofing houses, or creating shade.

The recognition of the Palm Tree next to Nguyen village communal house as a Vietnamese Heritage Tree is not only a joy, but also a pride of the people. It will create more motivation for the people here to plant, care for, and protect trees in general; to propagate andeducate the next generations to continue the good traditions of the nation, thereby joining hands to care for, protect, and preserve the traditional cultural heritages left by our ancestors.