'Historic Day' for the Dan Lai Pu Mat people
For decades, the planning of Pu Mat National Park inadvertently acted like a "shackle" on the land of the Dan Lai people in the villages of Bung and Co Phat in Mon Son commune, causing them many difficulties in building their lives. This unfortunate situation ended on July 5, 2025, after a long period of intervention by various levels and sectors of Nghe An province.
Nhat Lan - Thanh Cuong - Hoai Thu• September 1, 2025
Despite visiting the Dan Lai people in the heart of the Pù Mát National Park's primeval forest many times, we still don't know the exact history of this "sitting-up tribe," nor do we have precise information on when they first settled there. We've read numerous documents, but found no credible research on the origins or exact time of their settlement in the upper reaches of the Giăng River. During our field trips, we only sensed that they have lived in that remote forest for generations. And one thing is certain: the ancestral land of the Dan Lai people in Búng and Cò Phạt villages in Môn Sơn commune falls within the Pù Mát National Park's planning zone; this restricts their living space, deprives them of their means of production, and makes their already difficult lives even more challenging.
That being said, every time we cross the Giang River into the heart of the Pu Mat forest recently, as has become a habit, we seek out the most outstanding Dan Lai people, such as the village head of Bung, Le Van Chin, or the head of the Front Committee of Co Phat village, La Van Linh… We meet them to hear their stories and to learn what changes the Dan Lai people in this remote, deep forest region have undergone over time. We call Le Van Chin, La Van Linh… outstanding Dan Lai people, but outwardly they are no different from their fellow villagers. Their clothes are simple, their skin is tanned, their faces are weathered, and they often smile with a very gentle smile. The only difference is that these people are willing to listen to questions, present their answers quite fluently, and know how to convey their aspirations to help their community.
Recalling a meeting at the end of 2024, the head of Bung village, Le Van Chin, clearly stated that out of 125 households in the village, only 3 were classified as near-poor, while the rest remained poor. Explaining the persistent poverty of the people of Bung village, Le Van Chin attributed one fundamental reason to the scarcity of arable land. Located amidst vast mountains and forests, Bung village has some relatively large, gently sloping plots of land along the Giang River, but each household only has 40-50 square meters.2land.
With little arable land and all the surrounding land within the planned Pù Mát National Park, life still largely depends on the forest. Village head Lê Văn Chín said: “During the bamboo shoot season, we go into the forest to collect them. After the season ends, we don’t know what to do. To develop livestock farming, rice cultivation, or crop farming, we need land. Therefore, we hope the government will pay attention to allocating land to the people…”
Similarly, Mr. La Van Linh, Head of the Fatherland Front Committee of Co Phat village, said that out of 126 households in the village, 121 are still poor, with only 5 near-poor households. Co Phat has changed for the better, with a new school and a number of young people working in factories and industrial zones in the district and province in the South. However, the livelihoods of the people of Co Phat village still mainly depend on the forest. “The villagers go into the forest to collect bamboo shoots and catch bees. The land is still under the management of Pu Mat National Park, so they can't do anything with it. We hope that the authorities will pay attention and allocate land for housing and production so that the people can have stability and development…,” Mr. La Van Linh said.
During our trips to the Dan Lai ethnic minority region, we had to travel approximately 20 km upstream along the Giang River, which took about 3 hours. We were usually accompanied by officials from Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district (formerly), and Pu Mat National Park. In these limited time slots, we heard many stories about the difficulties the Dan Lai people faced regarding land ownership.
The Party Secretary of Chau Khe commune, Lo Van Thao (formerly the Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district before July 1, 2025), who was born and raised in Mon Son commune, recounted: The Dan Lai people have lived in the core of the Pu Mat forest for hundreds of years. There was a time when they practiced shifting cultivation, so the government implemented a resettlement policy, moving some to areas near the center of Mon Son commune. However, few households stayed in the new location, and most moved upstream along the Giang River, to the Khe Khang area. Around 1993-1994, and again in 2005, the government continued the resettlement policy to improve the lives of the Dan Lai people. Some households were moved to Tan Son, Thach Son, and later to Ke Tat and Ba Ha. But in the core area of Pu Mat National Park, there are still more than 200 Dan Lai households remaining. Regarding Pù Mát National Park, formerly known as Pù Mát Nature Reserve, it was established around 1995. At that time, for reasons unknown, the entire residential and agricultural land of the Dan Lai people was included in the Pù Mát Nature Reserve's planning. Since then, the Dan Lai people have no longer owned their land, and their lives have become increasingly difficult…
Despite being responsible for strictly managing the assigned special-use forest area, including the land in the villages of Búng and Cò Phạt, the officials of Pù Mát National Park soon noticed many shortcomings and sympathized with the living conditions of the Dan Lai people, so they always hoped for the day when the people would be given back their land.
According to Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Director of Pu Mat National Park, when the land is brought under management, all production activities, from rice and other crops to planting raw material trees, are prohibited. Some households have arbitrarily planted acacia trees on vacant land, and when it's time to harvest, they request permission to cut them down but are not granted. Over time, the acacia trees wither away, while the people are very poor and always lack food and clothing. "We feel very sorry for the people, but we cannot violate the regulations…," said Le Anh Tuan, Director of Pu Mat National Park.
It was precisely because of these shortcomings and compassion for the local people that, in 2022, when developing a sustainable forest management plan, Pu Mat National Park proactively reviewed and proposed to the Provincial People's Committee to return the land area related to the Dan Lai people in Co Phat and Bung villages to the local authorities.
On August 4, 2022, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 2288/QD-UBND approving the sustainable forest use plan for the period 2022-2030 of Pu Mat National Park. This plan identified the removal of 401.32 hectares of residential and agricultural land belonging to the Dan Lan community in Co Phat and Bung villages, Mon Son commune, from Pu Mat National Park and transfer it to local management and use. Subsequently, the People's Committee of Mon Son commune and the People's Committee of Con Cuong district (formerly) submitted documents to the Provincial People's Committee requesting detailed demarcation of the land area removed from Pu Mat National Park according to the plan approved in Decision No. 2288/QD-UBND; and subsequently granting land use rights to households and individuals in Co Phat and Bung villages.
As stated in Document No. 1148/UBND.TN dated September 27, 2022, the People's Committee of Con Cuong District (formerly) proposed:To ensure the rights and social welfare of households in the core area of Pu Mat National Park, the People's Committee of Con Cuong District respectfully requests the Provincial People's Committee to reclaim 401.32 hectares (residential and agricultural land) according to the approved plan; and at the same time, direct Pu Mat National Park to carry out detailed demarcation according to the approved plan; and provide funding for detailed surveying to be handed over to the District and Commune People's Committees for management and use according to the plan. Based on that, the district will direct the Mon Son Commune People's Committee to develop a land use plan to allocate land and issue land use right certificates to households and individuals in the two aforementioned villages."
On October 4, 2022, the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued Document No. 6175/STNMT-QLĐĐ guiding Pù Mát National Park to prepare land reclamation documents in Môn Sơn commune. Based on this guidance, Pù Mát National Park conducted a review of the current land management and use status, and on October 13, 2022, issued Document No. 417/VQG-KL voluntarily returning 360.6 hectares of land to the Provincial People's Committee for reassignment to the former Con Cuông District People's Committee to develop a land use plan and allocate land to households in Đan Lai hamlet, Cò Phạt hamlet, and Búng hamlet.
However, removing the residential and agricultural land areas of Co Phat and Bung villages from the Pu Mat National Park planning and issuing land use certificates to the Dan Lai people was no simple task. Pu Mat National Park, formerly the Pu Mat Nature Reserve, was established with government permission; the law stipulates strict protection of the special-use forest areas of the National Park... Therefore, the procedures for implementing this matter fall not only within the jurisdiction of Nghe An province but also involve central government agencies. The work of land reclamation, demarcation, and supplementary cadastral mapping of the land voluntarily returned by the Pu Mat National Park faced numerous difficulties, and at one point, officials from Mon Son commune and the former Con Cuong district seemed to be at a standstill. As of December 9, 2024, when National Assembly delegate Do Van Chien - Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, along with other National Assembly delegates from the Nghe An Provincial National Assembly Delegation - met with voters in the former Con Cuong district, voters in Mon Son commune continued to request the acceleration of the process of granting land use rights for residential and production land to the Dan Lai ethnic minority people in Co Phat and Bung villages.
According to Luong Dinh Viet, Secretary of the Party Committee of Mon Son commune, formerly the Standing Deputy Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Con Cuong district (old), attending the meeting with voters were the Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung (as of December 9, 2024), along with many leaders of provincial departments and agencies. Listening to the requests from voters in Mon Son commune, National Assembly representative Do Van Chien acknowledged these as legitimate requests and urged Nghe An province to allocate more resources and pay more attention to the Dan Lai ethnic minority. Furthermore, National Assembly representative Do Van Chien stated that he would raise the issue with central agencies to address the difficulties and obstacles within their jurisdiction.
The Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Duc Trung (as of December 9, 2024), also affirmed that he would direct the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment to pay attention to and resolve the issue of granting land use rights for residential and production land to the Dan Lai ethnic minority; and reminded the former Con Cuong district to closely follow up with the province and relevant departments and agencies to resolve obstacles in surveying and preparing dossiers… He also stated that the province would propose to the Central Government to resolve issues beyond its authority; and directed relevant departments to review and resolve issues within the province's jurisdiction.
The Party Secretary of Mon Son commune, Luong Dinh Viet, added: “The Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee, and all levels and sectors of the province are very concerned about resolving land issues for the Dan Lai people in Co Phat and Bung villages. But it can be said that, after this meeting with voters, thanks to the voice of National Assembly representative Do Van Chien and Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung, the “bottlenecks” related to resolving land issues for the Dan Lai people in Co Phat and Bung villages are gradually being resolved…”
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Following up on the above information, we confirmed what Mr. Luong Dinh Viet said. By early 2025, the work of surveying and mapping land use rights and preparing land use right certificates for the Dan Lai people in Co Phat and Bung villages was intensified. Dozens of officials from the Provincial Land Registration Office, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district (formerly), and the People's Committee of Mon Son commune spent months working day and night in Co Phat and Bung villages to complete the task of surveying, measuring, and preparing land use right certificates for each Dan Lai household.
Regarding the Department of Agriculture and Environment, on March 31, 2025, they issued Official Letter No. 780/SNNMT-QLĐĐ advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue Decision No. 37/QĐ-UBND dated April 15, 2025, amending Decision No. 486/QĐ-UBND.ĐC dated November 25, 2013, on approving the results of the review of the current land management and use status of Pù Mát National Park. Accordingly, the adjustment reduces 221.87 hectares of residential and agricultural land belonging to the Dan Lai ethnic group living in Co Phat village, Bung village, Mon Son commune, located within the boundaries of Pù Mát National Park...
On July 5, 2025, a provincial delegation led by Ms. Vo Thi Minh Sinh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, and Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An Province, crossed the Giang River to Co Phat and Bung villages to inspect the work of supporting disadvantaged families with housing. At the same time, they organized the handover of land use right certificates for residential and production land to Dan Lai ethnic minority households.
Joining the delegation, we visited the border guards and local military forces who were assisting in dismantling dilapidated old thatched and bamboo houses to prepare for the construction of new, decent homes for the local people. Then we visited the community cultural centers of Co Phat and Bung villages, where the delegation presented land use certificates for residential and agricultural land.
That day, perhaps because of years of anticipation, the Dan Lai people, young and old, flocked here in droves. The Dan Lai people were still the same. Their clothes were simple, and their tanned faces still bore gentle smiles. One by one, they waited their turn, attentively listening to the instructions from the provincial Land Registration Office officials, then, with emotion and hesitation, they put their fingerprints on their land use certificates.
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Sharing in the joy of the Dan Lai people in the heart of the Pu Mat primeval forest, the officials in the provincial delegation exclaimed: "This is a truly meaningful day. It's a historic day for the Dan Lai people…"
