Community-nurtured ecosystems: [3] Bru Van Kieu community safeguards Trang Ta Puong forest

"Uncle Ho's descendants" safeguard Western Truong Son forests

Established through the merger of the former Huong Viet and Huong Lap communes, the new Huong Lap commune has a natural area of nearly 22,000 hectares and is home to 3,617 residents in 812 households across nine villages. Forests account for more than 16,545 hectares of its territory, giving the commune a forest cover of over 74%.

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The Bru Van Kieu people account for 98% of the population, with the remaining residents belonging to the Kinh and Pa Hy ethnic groups. Most households rely on small-scale farming and forestry for their livelihoods, while the poverty and near-poverty rate stands at 48.89%. Against this backdrop, Trang Ta Puong remains one of the commune's poorest villages. However, for many years, Trang Ta Puong people have voluntarily refrained from entering natural forests to harvest forest products, cutting down trees, clearing forests for slash-and-burn cultivation, or hunting and trapping wildlife. Instead, many villages have jointly pledged to implement community-led initiatives to protect, patrol, and safeguard the forest. In some villages, residents have voluntarily established forest patrol teams, dividing patrol routes among themselves to safeguard the forests against encroachment.

According to Ho Thi Ven, Vice Chairwoman of the Huong Lap Commune People's Committee, though these villages remain economically disadvantaged, they have never been poor in their love for the forest or their sense of responsibility for protecting the verdant Truong Son Mountains.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail, winding along the Western Truong Son Range, appears more serene and picturesque than ever, flanked by uninterrupted stretches of green. Small villages nestle beneath thriving plantations of acacia and tung trees. These planted forests and production forests, allocated to local households, provide the community's primary source of income. Beyond them, darker shades of green spread across layers of towering mountain peaks, which are natural and primary forests.

Ho Van Gioi, a Bru Van Kieu youth in Trang Ta Puong village, represents the young generation carrying forward a deep love for the forest and a sense of responsibility for protecting both the environment and the forest's green canopy. That love is also similar to the revolutionary spirit and enduring devotion to President Ho Chi Minh shared by earlier generations. During the years of resistance, the Bru Van Kieu community along the Western Truong Son Mountains stood firmly behind the revolution, collectively adopting "Ho" as their family name in tribute to the late leader.

"Long ago, people depended on the forest for their livelihoods. But today, no one enters the forest. We encourage one another to protect the forest, not to trap wildlife, cut down trees, or clear land for cultivation. Instead, the community has shifted to alternative livelihoods such as livestock farming and growing industrial crops. Many households have also developed eco-tourism based on the forest ecosystem, which provides them with a much more stable source of income," Gioi shared.

In 2019, the Trang Ta Puong Community-Based Forest Management Board was established with 22 members representing the 22 households entrusted with managing and protecting 400 hectares of forest allocated to the village by the commune authorities. Ho Van Ron, born in 1994, serves as Head of the Management Board. Each month, patrol teams rotate responsibility for four routes: the waterfall area, the Ta Puong ranger station, Trac Noi, and the forest bordering Xa Dung.

"Before the Community-Based Forest Management Board was established, local people's awareness of forest protection was still limited. After its establishment, we received support from various programs and projects that provided training on patrol skills and how to identify violations of forestry laws. That helped us better understand the vital role of forests," Gioi stated.

Each forest patrol is carried out to detect any signs of forest encroachment and identify whether outsiders have entered the forest and left any traces behind. The Bru Van Kieu people have known every forest trail since childhood. They remember the location of individual trees. Any unusual detail is quickly noticed, allowing patrol members to investigate its cause and promptly report it to local authorities and functional forces.

Forest patrols also help prevent and control wildfires during the peak dry season, while raising awareness among local residents and family members about forest-related skills and knowledge. Every year, community members also plant additional trees to restore forest cover and rehabilitate degraded areas. No one is paid for these long patrols, as there is no funding available. Nor do the volunteers join simply to earn money, despite the hardships many of them face. Yet what they gain is far more valuable: a sustainable forest ecosystem that safeguards their own lives while creating new, sustainable livelihoods for the community.

Bru Van Kieu people develop tourism under the forest canopy

We joined Ho Van Gioi and his patrol team on one of their regular forest patrols. Setting out from Trang village toward Ta Puong Waterfall, the day's route crossed a stream that meanders through the forest. According to Ho Van Gioi, the stream originates from Ta Puong Waterfall, a spectacular three-tiered cascade, its foaming white waters contrasting vividly with the endless green of the surrounding forest.

As we followed the narrow forest trails deeper into the mountains, the forest grew increasingly pristine. Towering ancient trees, rising dozens of meters into the sky, formed a dense canopy. In this ancient forest, everything remains undisturbed. Layers of fallen leaves enrich the soil with organic matter while providing habitat for insects and vegetation.

Leaving the forest trails behind and crossing a series of streams, the patrol team made its way across rocky outcrops before reaching Ta Puong Cave, a damp cavern extending about 200 meters into the mountainside, where flashlights were needed to find the way. Inside the damp cave, the rocks underfoot were slippery with moss, while water seeped continuously from cracks in the walls and dripped from the cave ceiling. To us, it was an unfamiliar scene. However, for the villagers, it was a familiar route they had walked month after month in their persistent commitment to protecting the forest.

The recovery of the ancient forest is something anyone can appreciate firsthand. The final stop on the patrol was Trang Ta Puong Waterfall, a natural masterpiece nestled in the Western Truong Son Mountains. Though not particularly tall, the waterfall flows powerfully year-round. At its base lies a small emerald-green pool, so crystal clear that visitors can scoop up a handful of cool water to quench their thirst. Water from the pool, which spans several hundred meters, flows into a narrow stream before continuing downstream to the residential area.

In 2022, 16 households in Trang Ta Puong village established the Trang Ta Puong Waterfall Community-Based Tourism Group. They built bamboo shelters at the foot of the waterfall to serve as rest stops for tourists while offering traditional local cuisine. The appeal of this rustic mountain destination lies in its pristine natural beauty, where tourists can admire the spectacular waterfall, breathe the fresh forest air, swim beneath the falls, and kayak on the pool after a hike of about one kilometer.

Tourism has become one of the Trang village's new livelihoods. With support from international conservation organizations, including WWF-Viet Nam, local residents received a revolving fund of VND 250 million to develop livelihoods. Under the scheme, households facing financial hardship with livelihood plans can borrow VND 15 million for two years, after which the funds are passed on to other eligible households. 16 households invested in community-based tourism, creating the Trang Ta Puong Waterfall Tourist Area, featuring 16 bamboo shelters and walking paths around the waterfall. Other households invested in livestock farming or planting Melaleuca and Litsea glutinosa trees.

Ho Van Kham's family used the funding to raise a herd of goats, while Ho Thi Vieng's family invested in pig farming. Although these livestock models remain small in scale, they have given local people confidence that protecting the forest and conserving its ecosystem will ultimately bring lasting rewards, not only a clean, safe environment but also the support from the government, local communities, and domestic and international organizations to improve their livelihoods.

"In addition to payments from the Forest Environmental Services Fund for managing, protecting, and caring for 400 hectares of forest, the village received VND 74 million in carbon credit revenue in 2024. The community-based tourism group is now operating steadily, with annual revenue of around VND 200 million, equivalent to about VND 1 million/household/month. Meanwhile, the State, local authorities, programs, and projects continue to support local people with housing as well as livestock and tree-planting initiatives. As a result, people's lives have improved significantly," Gioi shared.

Inspired by the forest protection community model in Trang Ta Puong village, four other communities in Huong Lap commune have also signed forest protection commitments: Xa Dung, Cuoi, Cup, and Se Pu-Ta Pang.

Ho Thi Ven, Vice Chairwoman of the Huong Lap Commune People's Committee, believes the model in Trang Ta Puong must succeed before it can be replicated elsewhere. The Trang Ta Puong people are now aware of the importance of forest protection. Many households have diversified their livelihoods through farming and livestock production, using available land to grow tung trees, Melaleuca, cassava, and other crops. Most households have planted 20-30 tung trees in their home gardens to harvest the seeds. In addition to crop production, they also raise goats, cows, and pigs.

Speaking about Ho Van Gioi, Ven proudly said, "Gioi has introduced many initiatives to encourage villagers to plant tung trees. He also serves as the collection point for tung seeds from 29 households. Villagers harvest the seeds in the afternoon, and Gioi goes from house to house to weigh them before transporting them to the centralized collection point, helping people avoid selling small quantities at lower prices."

"Even if organizations provide funding worth billions of dong, success is impossible without people's hard work, sense of responsibility, and perseverance. We often encourage local residents to learn from the diligence of people in Northern Viet Nam, who make productive use of every available plot of land," Ven said.

According to the Vice Chairwoman of Huong Lap Commune, the commune plans to conduct field surveys to serve as the basis for developing a tourism project centered on Trang Ta Puong Waterfall, Chenh Venh Waterfall, and other attractions, while building partnerships with travel companies.

Meanwhile, WWF-Viet Nam is expected to continue supporting the community-based tourism group over the next five years, with the goal of making tourism a key economic sector by 2030. The commune authorities have high expectations for the model and will continue to closely monitor its implementation to ensure its success and create a solid foundation for the project's next phases.