Protecting forests and building a green future: From severe forest loss to a global reference

Editor's note: Over the past 80 years of its formation and development, Vietnam's forestry sector has experienced many fluctuations: from severe forest loss in the aftermath of war to restoring forest cover; from resource exploitation to building an internationally integrated wood economy, initiating forest environmental service payment policies, expanding biodiversity conservation networks, and now moving toward participation in the global carbon market.

The series "Journey of Protecting Forests and Building a Green Future" highlights typical milestones that illustrate the fundamental transformation of forestry throughout 80 years. Forests are no longer seen merely as a resource but as a pillar of sustainable development, associated with livelihoods, the environment, and the nation's climate commitments.

Several decades ago, in many midland and mountainous areas of Vietnam, the eye could see nothing but barren soil and rocky hillsides. Years of prolonged war, along with overexploitation, pushed the country to the risk of complete forest loss. Hillsides eroded, flash floods relentlessly swept through villages, and rivers turned a turbid red with silt. Mountainous people gradually lost their livelihoods, while environmental security came under severe threat.

From 1945 until the late 1980s, Vietnam's forests declined steadily. Records show that forest cover fell from over 43% to just around 27%. At that time, Vietnam was classified among the countries with the fastest rates of forest loss worldwide. Reports from the period used terms like "forest crisis" or "risk of desertification."

The renewal opened a way out. Land and forest allocation policies for households and communities, along with nationwide programs to green barren hills, transformed people's views on forests. In many places, for the first time, people have possessed certificates granting forest land-use rights. Their perception of forests shifted dramatically, from "ownerless commons" to assets directly tied to livelihoods.

In 1990, Vietnam's forest area had fallen to just about 9.1 million ha. Three decades later, the figure had surpassed 14.7 million ha. Forest cover rose to 42%, returning to the level of the 1940s, even as the population multiplied several times and agricultural land expanded. Large-scale forest projects such as Program 327 and the Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program (1998–2010) became historic milestones for the sector. By 2010, forest cover had exceeded 40%, closing a long chapter of decline.

Vietnam's efforts have also been recognized internationally. Reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have repeatedly highlighted Vietnam as a model of forest recovery, successfully combining the protection of natural forests with the large-scale development of planted forests.

During the same period, organizations such as WWF implemented numerous forest projects in the Central Annamite Range and Central Highlands. Community nursery models and the CarBi program helped plant over 10.7 million indigenous trees, build 13 nurseries, and significantly reduce illegal logging and hunting.

The key difference lies in people's participation. As of now, around 2.6 million households have directly managed and tended forests, holding over 27% of the national forest area. In the Northwest, many villages abandoned the tradition of slash-and-burn cultivation, turning to forest protection through contracted stewardship. In the Central Highlands, community-based models for protecting dipterocarp forests and pine forests have helped natural areas gradually recover.

Another equally important metric is forest quality. After years of focusing mainly on forest cover, the forestry sector has shifted toward large-timber forests, multi-species forests, and multi-purpose forests. By 2024, more than 500,000 ha had achieved sustainable forest management certification, considered a "green passport" for Vietnamese wood to access demanding markets.

According to Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director General of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, today's achievements are the outcome of a cumulative set of policies, from land and forest allocation and state budget investment to mobilizing enterprises and communities.

He emphasized, "What is most valuable is that forests are no longer seen merely as resources for exploitation. They have become a foundation for sustainable development associated with both the environment and livelihoods."

Building on that foundation, the forestry sector is moving toward new goals: enhancing forest value, entering the global carbon market, and contributing to the nation's commitment of net-zero emissions by 2050. "If we only see forests as green plants, we capture just part of their worth. But when we treat forests as assets, their value multiplies both economically and environmentally," Mr. Bao said.

Local statistics offer clear proof. In the former Yen Bai province, forest area expanded by more than 100,000 ha over two decades, turning once-barren hills into lush green landscapes. In the former Quang Nam province, the development of large-timber forests has doubled or even tripled households' income compared to short-cycle plantations. In the Central Highlands, forest protection contracts have provided many ethnic minority communities with a stable additional income.

The story of "Vietnam—from forest loss to forest gain" has been cited repeatedly at climate and biodiversity forums. On the global map, Vietnam stands as one of the few countries to reverse forest degradation, becoming a reference for many developing nations.

Looking back over eight decades, Vietnam's journey of protecting forests has been marked by both loss and revival. From hills variegated by fire to green canopies stretching to the horizon, forests have become the nation's "green assets."

Forests safeguard the environment, preserve water sources, and sustain millions of lives. More importantly, they open the door for Vietnam to enter a new stage of development, where forests are linked to the green economy, the carbon market, and global responsibility.