While people throughout the country complain that their local forestsare "bleeding", the people in the central province of Quang Nam can takepride of the hundreds-of-years old forest compared as their "amulet".Report by Vietnam Net online newspaper.
Here in DaiLoc district of Quang Nam province, the word "illegal logging" has notbeen heard. The Ha Nha forbidden forest in Dai Dong commune has beenprotected strictly for centuries.
Nguyen Van Anh,head of Ha Nha hamlet, Dai Dong commune, said the forest is 1.5kilometers long, from Ha Song cave to the Ha Nha market, and 500 meterswide.
According to Bach Thi Ty, who was born in1919, the forest existed before the day she was born. "There were somany trees in the forest, including the century-old very big ones," Tysaid.
She went on to say that the forest and thearea have been protected by local people, because they are very sacred.During the American war, a lot of revolutionary activists were arrested,killed and then thrown into the Vu Gia river near Ha Song cave.
There is a strange water puddle there in the area. "The puddle hasnever got depleted, in both rainy and dry seasons," Anh said. "Webelieve that there are some artesian waters somewhere, but we have notfound it."
The amulet of the villagers
Ha Song cavern lies at some 40 meters above the sea water level on a200 meter dangerous mountain pass with an abyss on the left, next to theVu Gia river, and the cliff on the right. The west of the cave facesthe mountains thousands of meters high.
The cave is surrounded by the old forests and there is only one road to the forest.
In the wars against the invaders, Ha Song cave was one of the fiercestbattle fields of Quang Nam province, for which it has been recognisedas a provincial historical relics.
The Ha Nhaforest has been considered as the amulet for hundreds of the localhouseholds, which protects them from natural calamities. With theforest-built defense, the local people have been safe from the typhoons,landslide and waste trees flowing from the upstream in rainy season.
"If the forest had not existed, Ha Nha hamlet with 700households, and other hamlets of Lam Phung, Ban Tan and Dai Quangcommune would have been devastated by floods and typhoons," said NguyenThanh Huu, a local resident.
There are a lot of bigtrees in the forest, most of which are "muong" as called by the localpeople. The flora population here is diverse, including old trees withlarge canopies, lower trees and shrubs. All that trees have createdshields against floods, typhoons and landslide.
Anhsaid local residents understand well that they need to protect theforest and develop it as a guardian for them during natural calamities."Only when we join forces to protect the forest, it can exist forcenturies," he said.
"Most recently, we have planted500 muong trees to replace the too old trees which have fallen down inthe typhoon," he added.-VNA
Here in DaiLoc district of Quang Nam province, the word "illegal logging" has notbeen heard. The Ha Nha forbidden forest in Dai Dong commune has beenprotected strictly for centuries.
Nguyen Van Anh,head of Ha Nha hamlet, Dai Dong commune, said the forest is 1.5kilometers long, from Ha Song cave to the Ha Nha market, and 500 meterswide.
According to Bach Thi Ty, who was born in1919, the forest existed before the day she was born. "There were somany trees in the forest, including the century-old very big ones," Tysaid.
She went on to say that the forest and thearea have been protected by local people, because they are very sacred.During the American war, a lot of revolutionary activists were arrested,killed and then thrown into the Vu Gia river near Ha Song cave.
There is a strange water puddle there in the area. "The puddle hasnever got depleted, in both rainy and dry seasons," Anh said. "Webelieve that there are some artesian waters somewhere, but we have notfound it."
The amulet of the villagers
Ha Song cavern lies at some 40 meters above the sea water level on a200 meter dangerous mountain pass with an abyss on the left, next to theVu Gia river, and the cliff on the right. The west of the cave facesthe mountains thousands of meters high.
The cave is surrounded by the old forests and there is only one road to the forest.
In the wars against the invaders, Ha Song cave was one of the fiercestbattle fields of Quang Nam province, for which it has been recognisedas a provincial historical relics.
The Ha Nhaforest has been considered as the amulet for hundreds of the localhouseholds, which protects them from natural calamities. With theforest-built defense, the local people have been safe from the typhoons,landslide and waste trees flowing from the upstream in rainy season.
"If the forest had not existed, Ha Nha hamlet with 700households, and other hamlets of Lam Phung, Ban Tan and Dai Quangcommune would have been devastated by floods and typhoons," said NguyenThanh Huu, a local resident.
There are a lot of bigtrees in the forest, most of which are "muong" as called by the localpeople. The flora population here is diverse, including old trees withlarge canopies, lower trees and shrubs. All that trees have createdshields against floods, typhoons and landslide.
Anhsaid local residents understand well that they need to protect theforest and develop it as a guardian for them during natural calamities."Only when we join forces to protect the forest, it can exist forcenturies," he said.
"Most recently, we have planted500 muong trees to replace the too old trees which have fallen down inthe typhoon," he added.-VNA
