VietNamNet Bridge - A village in the central city of Hue has decided to protect the loc vung (Barringtonia acutangula) forest, which is over 300 years old and called the ‘green lung of the village’.

Visitors to Sieu Quan Village in Phong Dien District of Thua Thien-Hue province are impressed by the thick loc vung trees standing like a green belt protecting residents.

Nguyen Hieu, head of the village, said that establishing the hamlet in 1300s, the ancestors grew loc vung trees, and when they built embankments, they realized that the tree was suitable to the local land and decided to grow the trees on a large scale on dykes to preserve land.

A village in the central city of Hue has decided to protect the loc vung (Barringtonia acutangula) forest, which is over 300 years old and called the ‘green lung of the village’.

Hieu said the ancient loc vung forest is associated with a story about a mandarin of the Nguyen Dynasty. Tran Van Ky once returned to the home village and brought a lot of trees, including loc vung, which had not been seen in the locality before. 

He visited every house and called on people to grow the trees in front of their houses and at the edge of rice fields, promising to give every household a warm shirt to avoid winter cold.

The villagers were excited about the mandarin’s promise and rushed to grow the trees, hoping that they would get warm clothes one day.

When the mandarin got old, he decided to return to the home village to spend his last days there. When village elders asked the mandarin about warm clothes, he pointed to the loc vung trees and said: “These are the shirts I promised to give to you.”

Looking at the green loc vung trees which had been protecting Sieu Quan’s people from floods and natural calamities for many years, villagers realized what the warm clothes had actually meant.

Sieu Quan Village covers 320 hectares, 70 percent of which are reserved for loc vung trees. 

The old and precious loc vung trees were once targeted by illegal loggers. However, the villagers united in protecting the ‘green lung of the village’.

A village convention has been set up and strictly followed by Sieu Quan’s people. The convention says those who fell and sell loc vung trees will be fined VND500,000, and their names will be exposed to shame on the commune’s radio. They will have to offer liquor and betel at the communal house to apologize to the villagers.

Sieu Quan’s people have sent a dossier to VACNE to ask to recognize loc vung ancient trees in the locality as heritage trees.

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