A reporter from SGGP newspaper boarded the fishing boat of Mr. Tran Huu Khanh (79 years old, residing in Diem Van village, Tuy Phuoc commune, Gia Lai province) to go to Thi Nai lagoon to document the dwindling area of mangrove forest that he had been preserving. The entire area of forest, planted over 20 years ago, encroaching on the lagoon, now has many tall trees that have fallen, died, and some areas have been swept away by high tides.
Mr. Khanh recounted that nearly 8 hectares of forest, which he and Mr. Nguyen Van Tuong (both from Tuy Phuoc commune) were protecting, have now been almost completely wiped out, with over 60% of the trees destroyed. In Con Chim hamlet (Vinh Quang 2 village, Tuy Phuoc Dong commune, Gia Lai province), many households are worried as mangrove trees are dying, falling, and being uprooted en masse.
According to observations, fallen and dead trees are scattered everywhere, with many areas showing gray patches in the saltwater lagoon. Residents of Con Chim hamlet said that the sea storm at the end of 2025, accompanied by high tides in Thi Nai lagoon with waves 4-6 meters high, severely damaged ponds and houses, with many houses being swept away.
Mr. Huynh Ngoc Bien, Head of Vinh Quang 2 village, said: “It is estimated that more than 50% of the mangrove forest in Con Chim has been damaged. Some mangrove trees have recovered, but many other trees have died. The forest helps protect aquatic resources, the green environment, and effectively shields ponds, villages, and coastal areas from storms and tidal surges. The people hope that the authorities at all levels will soon pay attention to allocating funds and implementing a project to restore and replant the forest to protect their villages and homes, improve sustainable livelihoods, and develop community tourism …”
Mr. Truong Xuan Dua, Head of the Agricultural Technology Research and Application Station (Gia Lai Provincial Agricultural Extension Center), informed that the unit has measured and identified the damaged forest areas to report to the Provincial People's Committee and propose restoration solutions.
However, due to the large area of fallen and dead trees scattered across the landscape, restoration is difficult in the short term. "In the long term, we hope the Provincial People's Committee will allocate funds to implement comprehensive and synchronized forest restoration, contributing to the restoration of the precious green 'lungs' of Thi Nai Lagoon," Mr. Dua shared.
Thi Nai Lagoon (over 5,000 hectares) has nearly 90 hectares of concentrated mangrove forest, while the rest is a forest belt connecting aquaculture ponds managed by the community. Besides its scenic value and role in disaster response and climate change mitigation, the Thi Nai Lagoon mangrove forest also contributes to the conservation and restoration of aquatic resources. The natural disaster in November 2025 damaged more than 50% of the concentrated forest area, with approximately 44 hectares swept away, broken, or dried up.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/mong-phuc-hoi-dai-xanh-dam-thi-nai-post853838.html
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