Every morning, when the mist still covers the ancient mountains, A Tinh – a Van Kieu man from a small village deep in the Truong Son range – shoulders his woven basket, takes a small knife, and quietly walks into the forest.
He calls it with love: “Mother Forest.”
“The forest gives us water, wood, bamboo shoots, and medicine… Our life depends on it. Now, it’s our turn to protect it for our children,”
says A Tinh, his eyes gazing into the endless blue ridges of the mountains.
From Logging to Protecting the Forest
In the past, poverty drove many villagers to rely on the forest to survive — cutting timber, hunting animals, or digging for wild roots.
But everything changed when the “Green Livelihoods Under the Canopy” program was introduced.
A Tinh and his neighbors were trained to grow herbal plants, raise bees, and harvest forest leaves to make herbal tea.
Today, jars of forest honey and packets of sweet grass tea from their village carry a local brand name — bringing income without harming the forest.
“Protecting the forest is also doing business,” A Tinh smiles.
“We have food and clothes, and the forest stays green.”
The Forest is Home – and Pride
In the late afternoon, A Tinh joins the forest patrol team to walk around the village’s borders.
He stops before a wooden sign that reads, “Natural forest is a national resource,” nodding with quiet pride:
“Now we understand — the forest doesn’t belong only to the Van Kieu, it belongs to the whole country.
Protecting the forest is protecting life itself.”
TheorganiKcoffee believes:
When people can make a good living from the forest,
they become its most devoted protectors.
Let’s continue to share the spirit of “Guarding the Forest” —for a greener, more sustainable Vietnam.
