In early March 2024, a delegation from Nghe An Newspaper was introduced to visit Dien Lam before working with the Quy Chau District Party Committee. The reason for visiting Dien Lam, as explained by officials from the District Party Committee's Propaganda Department, was: "This is one of the most remote and disadvantaged areas in the district, but it boasts many beautiful natural landscapes and has several successful models such as forest protection and the conservation of some specialty fish species…".
Dien Lam is one of the southernmost areas of Quy Chau district, bordering Quy Hop, Con Cuong, and Tuong Duong districts. To reach Dien Lam, you can follow National Highway 48A to Tan Lac town, then turn onto Provincial Road 544 through Chau Hanh commune, uphill towards Bu Sen peak, and through Chau Phong commune. Alternatively, you can also follow National Highway 48A, but at the Sang Le intersection, turn onto National Highway 48D, then pass through Tam Hop, Tho Hop, Quy Hop town, Chau Quang, Chau Cuong, Chau Thanh (Quy Hop), up to Chau Phong commune, and then uphill to Dien Lam. Choosing the second route, departing from Vinh city at 6 am, after nearly 4 hours of driving, we arrived in Dien Lam.
My first impression of Dien Lam is that it's an incredibly peaceful green space. In the cool March weather, the orchards in the villages, the terraced rice fields in their prime, and the dense natural forests covering the rolling hills surrounding the villages create a diverse tapestry of green. It's so green that visitors from Vinh City can't help but admire it, feeling a sense of serene tranquility that's a complete contrast to the crowded and suffocating urban environment…
Seeing the visitors' expressions of admiration, the officials of Dien Lam commune enthusiastically explained: Dien Lam is surrounded on all sides by mountains and forests. To the south is the Pu Huong mountain range with a peak of 1,161m, originating from the Vietnam-Laos border, forming the boundary between Quy Chau district and Con Cuong and Tuong Duong districts. To the east is the Pu Co mountain range with a peak of 1,124m, forming the boundary between Dien Lam and Chau Cuong and Chau Thanh communes (Quy Hop district). To the northwest is the Pu Hoc mountain range with the Chom Hen peak at 485m, forming the boundary between Dien Lam and Chau Hoan and Chau Phong communes. The villages of Dien Lam are distributed in the valleys at the foot of the mountain ranges, under the canopy of pristine natural forests covering an area of more than 13,000 hectares, managed by the Pu Huong Nature Reserve, the Quy Chau Protective Forest Management Board, and the People's Committee of the commune. Dien Lam has many streams and springs, thanks to the preservation and protection of its pristine natural forests, which maintain a source of fresh water. Among them, the Cuom stream has the largest water source, flowing through many villages and hamlets, irrigating most of the rice fields…
To give the delegation a firsthand look, after a brief ten-minute tour, the Dien Lam officials took them to visit the Bản Hốc community's protected natural forest. Covering over 200 hectares, the Bản Hốc forest stretches for about 5 kilometers, from the foot of Pù Sen mountain up to the border of Châu Hoàn commune. The path to the forest is quite short. Even with female members in the delegation, it only took about 20 minutes of walking, passing through a field and a dense palm forest with canopies like dark green umbrellas, followed by a gentle slope. Under the forest canopy, the air felt cool and crisp, and the vegetation was diverse and very well protected. The upper layer was densely packed with many types of upright trees such as Ràng Ràng, Dẻ, Dã Chèo… with trunk circumferences of 30-50cm; while the lower layer was densely covered with many species of bamboo, reeds, herbs, and medicinal plants. Among them were some familiar medicinal plants with high economic value such as cinnamon, cardamom, and golden camellia…
After enjoying the forest of Bản Hốc for over half an hour, we were taken to visit the Cướm stream. As the Chairman of the People's Committee of Diễn Lãm commune, Nguyễn Văn Dũng, introduced, the Cướm stream is currently undergoing a conservation and development project for the Mát fish species. “After a period of protection, some sections of the Cướm stream now have a large number of Mát fish. Standing on the Sốp Lịch bridge or the Bản Cướm bridge, you can see schools of Mát fish swimming in a line…” he said. And indeed, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Diễn Lãm commune was right. Standing on the Bản Cướm bridge, lightly sprinkle some fishmeal, and in the crystal-clear stream below, you can clearly see large schools of fish swimming and feeding. A young man, allowed by the Cướm village management board, “cast a net so the group can see more clearly the Mát fish of Diên Lãm.” While casting the net and diving to chase the fish for about 10 minutes, the young man from Bản Cướm brought up about a few dozen Mát fish, estimated to weigh over 1.5 kg. They were all plump, firm, and had shimmering silver scales with a beautiful bluish sheen…
We visited the forests of Bản Hốc, the cool waters of Khe Cướm, the villages nestled among terraced rice fields, and the ancient thousand-year-old persimmon and mango trees… but the most impressive thing for us was the greenness of Diên Lãm, making us feel that this place truly deserves to be called a green region. Therefore, we went back up there a few days later to better understand the methods used to preserve this green region.
The person we were introduced to by the commune was a respected elder in Cướm village, Mr. Lữ Trọng Bằng. A researcher of folk culture, beliefs, and performing arts, Mr. Bằng was awarded the title of "Outstanding Artisan" by the State in 2022. However, as if understanding our expectations, during our more than an hour-long conversation, he focused solely on the stories of human connection in Diên Lãm and the natural values bestowed upon this land.
Mr. Bang enthusiastically recounted: “In Dien Lam, if a family builds a house for their children to live in separately, or if a family experiences a death, the people in our village will come to help. We help completely voluntarily, without waiting for the village management board to call or remind us. As people from the lowlands often say, ‘love others as you love yourself’… Dien Lam has many unique characteristics. If a Dien Lam buffalo gets lost, people from other regions will know it belongs to a Dien Lam person. If a Dien Lam woman drops her scarf, people from other places will know it belongs to a Dien Lam woman. Dien Lam men are very strong, and Dien Lam women are tall… This is because Dien Lam is blessed by nature, with a vast primeval forest containing many rare and valuable trees such as cypress, fir, and many medicinal plants, and a dense network of streams with many special fish species. It is thanks to such a pristine natural environment that the people and scenery here thrive.” Dien Lam has acquired its own unique characteristics…”.
I asked Mr. Bang: "The lives of the people in Dien Lam are still closely tied to the forest. How can we raise awareness among the people so that they don't impact or affect the forest?" He replied that every resident of Dien Lam has a sense of responsibility to protect the forest. Previously, if they harvested trees, it was only for family use. Now, the pristine natural forest is managed by three units: the Pu Huong Nature Reserve, the Quy Chau Protective Forest Management Board, and the People's Committee of the commune. These three units have their own management methods to encourage community participation in forest protection. For example, in Hoc village, after being handed over to the community, they established regulations for the villagers to strictly adhere to. Similarly, the Pu Huong Nature Reserve, to protect thousands of hectares of pristine forest, has also developed a forest protection plan to gain the support and active participation of the community…
Regarding the preservation of the forest in Bản Hốc village, we met with and listened to the Party Secretary, Quang Văn Đồng, discuss the matter. According to Mr. Đồng, the Bản Hốc forest is a treasure inherited from their ancestors. In 2002, when a plan was proposed to divide the forest among households, the elderly people of the village absolutely refused, insisting on keeping the forest for the community to manage and preserve for future generations. “This is a headwater forest that helps conserve water and forest resources. If it is divided among households, the forest will belong to individuals, and how can they possibly manage it…?” – Mr. Đồng said.
According to Mr. Dong, in the past, when young people in Hoc village got married, there was a regulation allowing them to harvest a portion of the forest under the supervision of the village head to supplement their house construction. However, since 2016, the village has prohibited anyone from cutting down trees or encroaching on the forest. The village regulations clearly state five prohibitions.The first,It is prohibited to encroach on community forest land.MondayIt is prohibited to clear land for slash-and-burn farming in community forests;TuesdayIt is prohibited to indiscriminately exploit forest products in community forests;Wednesday, prohibits the use of fire in community forests;ThursdayThe regulations prohibit hunting rare animals in the community forest. Because of these strict rules, anyone who violates them faces severe penalties. “Since the regulations were established, no one in Hoc village has violated them. There have only been a few cases of people in Chau Hoan village illegally destroying the forest and exploiting forest products, but they were all discovered and severely punished by the Hoc village community, who made them sign a commitment not to repeat the offense…” – Mr. Dong recounted.
Regarding the rights of the people of Hoc village, the Party Secretary of Hoc village said that they are allowed to go into the forest to find cardamom, cinnamon, honey, medicinal plants, and dry branches for firewood. In addition, the Hoc village community receives 31 million VND annually from the forest environmental service policy; in 2024, they received an additional 73 million VND for forest management and protection. This more than 100 million VND is used by the village according to the instructions of higher authorities for forest protection. Each month, the Hoc village community organizes two forest patrols; quarterly and yearly meetings are held to summarize and evaluate the results. “Everyone in the village is very aware and compliant. Therefore, the forest in Hoc village is recovering and developing very well, gradually becoming a primary forest…” – Mr. Quang Van Dong said enthusiastically.
In Dien Lam, we contacted the leaders of the Pu Huong Nature Reserve. It was confirmed that the Dien Lam forest is largely a special-use forest, covering an area of 7,869.6 hectares. The forest has a high canopy cover, a rich and diverse ecosystem, and is preserving many rare and valuable plant and animal species with high economic value and significant scientific research importance. Examples include species such as the cypress, oil palm, and seven-leaf one-flower ginseng; and rare animals such as the slow loris, black gibbon, silver-cheeked gibbon, gray langur, peacock pheasant, and white-tailed pheasant. Regarding forest protection, using funds from the forest environmental service payment and sustainable forest protection project, the Pu Huong Nature Reserve Management Board signs contracts with community groups to protect the forest on an annual basis. Each group consists of approximately 70 or more households, which are then divided into smaller teams of 5 people each. The Dien Lam - Chau Hoan Forest Protection Station is responsible for assigning forest areas to teams and supervising and directing forest patrols.
According to Nguyen Dinh Hoang, Head of the Dien Lam - Chau Hoan Forest Protection Station: “Each team conducts two forest patrols per month, each lasting two days. Therefore, there is at least one forest patrol team on any given day in Dien Lam. At the end of each patrol, the team leader is responsible for recording information and signing the logbook; they also write a report and send it along with photos of the patrol and the assigned forest area via the group's Zalo account for the station to keep and report to superiors…”
Aspirations for innovation have been nurtured and expressed in Dien Lam. These aspirations are based on existing resources. As reflected in the concerns of the Chairman of the Dien Lam Commune People's Committee, Nguyen Van Dung: “The Dien Lam area is blessed with many scenic spots, so the commune's Party committee and government are always eager to find ways to exploit these values to promote socio-economic development and gradually improve the lives of the people. Dien Lam's focus on preserving and protecting forests, conserving and developing aquatic resources is also exploiting the advantages of natural resources, helping people develop their economy and aiming towards the development of ecotourism in the future…”
For example, Meritorious Artisan Lu Trong Bang expressed his fervent desire to spread beautiful cultural traditions such as the Long Tong Festival, the Xang Khan Festival, the ancient Pu Festival…; folk songs like nhuon, xuoi, lam, and folk dances like xai cong, xai lau, xai dang…, so that Dien Lam becomes more widely known to society.
Having visited Dien Lam twice and heard these stories, I understand that this remote area of Quy Chau mountainous district still faces many difficulties. However, I believe that when officials and the people share a common aspiration, they will unite and work together to develop their inherent values; and I believe that with the immense natural resources bestowed upon it, Dien Lam will soon receive support in all aspects to gradually transform. I believe that the verdant Dien Lam deserves to be an important destination in Quy Chau district!
