Keeping Cuc Phuong green through long-term vision

Sixty-four years later, looking back at that decision and looking at the green color of Cuc Phuong today, one can read a consistent development philosophy of the nation: the long-term values of the country must be placed above all immediate calculations.

A decision beyond the times and an unfulfilled meeting

In 1962, all national resources were poured into the front lines; every grain of rice, every meter of fabric, every cent of the budget was extremely precious. In that context, the Government's decision to strictly zone a primary forest as a "forbidden forest" and hand it over to the Central forestry agency for direct management was almost unimaginable if viewed only through wartime economic eyes. But precisely because of this, that decision carried the stature of a manifesto: this nation held guns to win back the country, and kept the forest to preserve the country's life.

That vision originated from the thought of President Ho Chi Minh, who once advised: "Forest is gold, if we know how to protect and build it, it is very precious." For Cuc Phuong, Uncle Ho reserved special attention. In mid-December 1968, he intended to visit the first primary forest of the country. The forestry sector at that time reinforced the walkways, made handrails and steps up to the Cave of Prehistoric Man, and prepared a helipad at the Bong area to welcome him.

But the war grew fiercer by the day, and his health gradually weakened; the meeting could not take place in time. Those steps and handrails at the Cave of Prehistoric Man, and the traces of the helipad at Bong remain there to this day, like a quiet yet aching reminder: even in the toughest years, the nation's leader was thinking about the forests for future generations. That unfulfilled meeting, therefore, became a debt of gratitude that each generation of forest protectors voluntarily takes upon themselves to repay.

The “conservation capital” on Viet Nam's nature map

Cuc Phuong is an evergreen tropical rainforest on limestone mountains spreading over 22.000 hectares across the territories of three provinces: Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, and Thanh Hoa. Beneath that forest canopy is a biodiversity treasure trove among the richest in the country, with thousands of species of flora and fauna, including many endemic, endangered, and rare species. These are ancient Cho chi, Sau, and Dang trees that have stood there since before the modern history of the country began.

But the value of Cuc Phuong does not stop at biology. Con Moong Cave marks the continuous residence of prehistoric humans from the late Paleolithic to the Neolithic age and is being considered by UNESCO for inclusion in the World Heritage List; the Cave of Prehistoric Man preserves the traces of ancient Vietnamese people. A placodont reptile fossil dating back 230-250 million years shows that this place was once a witness to magnificent geological transitions.

Surrounding the forest is the indigenous Muong cultural space with stilt houses, customs, and knowledge of living in harmony with nature over generations. Rarely does any place in our country converge within a single space all four tiers of value: biology, archaeology, paleontology, and culture like this.

On that foundation, over more than six decades, Cuc Phuong has become the cradle of Viet Nam's conservation cause: a leading regional center for rescuing endangered primates, conserving turtles, small carnivores, and pangolins; a pioneer in conducting soft releases and rewilding so that species can return to re-establish wild populations; a "nature school" for environmental education; and a model of ecotourism integrated with conservation, honored six consecutive years (2019-2024) by the World Travel Awards as Asia's Leading National Park.

It is no coincidence that the conservation community affectionately calls Cuc Phuong the “Conservation Capital” of Viet Nam. That achievement was built by the special attention of the Government, ministries, sectors, and the three localities, along with the heartfelt cooperation of domestic and international conservation organizations.

Preserving the green with long-term thinking

Precisely that special status requires a special way of handling. It must be clearly seen that Cuc Phuong is a unified ecological whole, spreading across three provinces, a "non-administrative" natural space that does not coincide with any local boundary. Ecosystems know no provincial boundaries: the langur troops, the streams, the forest carpets do not stop at administrative landmarks.

Managing such a whole, therefore, requires a specialized agency capable of overseeing the entire ecological space, unified in expertise, data, long-term conservation strategies, and international commitments. Global experience also shows that even in countries with the strongest administrative decentralization, national parks are still defined as national ecological assets under the direct management of central authorities.

There will be times when immediate development interests-tourism, infrastructure, revenue, knock on the doors of the forests. That is normal for any stage of development. What is abnormal is if, because of those short-term goals, we alter the extraction methods or change the management model that has been proven by practice for 64 years.

Primary forest is a type of asset that cannot be remade: an administrative decision can be issued in a week, but a forest on limestone mountains needs hundreds or thousands of years to take shape. For such assets, the only correct yardstick is sustainability for future generations, not the extraction efficiency of a single period. Many times, to go far, fast steps need to know how to slow down.

In place of a conclusion

In 1962, amidst countless shortages, the leaders of the country chose to preserve a forest for the future. That choice has been answered by time through the very green color of Cuc Phuong today, by rare animals returning to nature, groups of students learning to listen to the voice of the forest for the first time, international titles, and the pride of an entire conservation sector.

Sixty-four years later, the most worthy way to pay tribute to that vision, and to Uncle Ho's unfulfilled meeting, is to continue thinking about Cuc Phuong with the exact mindset that gave birth to it: placing the long-term above the immediate, placing the interests of multiple generations above the needs of a single period. Because protecting a forest, in the end, is preserving a part of the soul and the future of the nation.