On the Lo River in Vinh Phuc, this farmer has a forest. People offered to pay 60 billion VND, why hasn't she sold it yet?

Senior Party member Vu Thi Khiem in Dong Dua village, Hai Luu commune, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province has devoted her whole life to planting trees, protecting the forest, and building nests as shelter for flocks of storks.

The green forest is preserved by Mrs. Khiem's ​​family as a shelter for a flock of storks in Hai Luu commune, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province. Photo: Nguyen Thao/VNA

Every day, when it gets dark, 82-year-old Vu Thi Khiem walks around her family’s garden to check on the trees and visit the flock of storks. She has maintained this habit for over 60 years.

“My relationship with the flock of storks is like a fate and also a debt to each other. If I don’t see them flying around or hear their chirping, I feel something missing, I can’t eat well, I can’t sleep well…”, Mrs. Khiem confided.

In a small old house covered in moss, nestled under the shade of ancient trees, Mrs. Khiem confided that her family moved to this land to make a living when she was only 5 years old.

At first, her family planted potatoes and cassava for food, then planted some fruit trees and timber trees. When the trees grew big and had leaves, flocks of birds and storks from all over began to come to roost and make nests. At first, there were only a few, but gradually they became flocks, not only storks but also herons, egrets, cranes, etc.

The flock of storks came to live in her family's forest because "good land attracts birds", Mrs. Khiem and her family did not chase them away, they protected the birds and storks, and did not let strangers hunt them.

She confided that her husband had died in the resistance war against America. She raised three children alone, going through many difficulties, hardships, and dangers in the deep forest.

Fate seemed to joke with her, when Mrs. Khiem's ​​eldest son suddenly passed away in an accident, she continued to raise her 5 grandchildren alone, growing up with birds and storks under the forest canopy.

Mrs. Khiem's ​​5-hectare forest,

Dong Dua village, Hai Luu commune, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province has many ancient trees that are home to flocks of storks. Photo: VNA.

To call them back to nest, Mrs. Khiem and her children and grandchildren planted more trees to provide shelter and create a green, fresh environment.

Up to now, her forest of more than 5 hectares has many old trees such as lat, doi, jackfruit, tram, xoan, trau, longan, bamboo...

The life of the 6 grandmothers and grandchildren was hard and difficult. There were times when Mrs. Khiem considered cutting down trees and selling the forest to feed her grandchildren. But when she thought about the flock of storks losing their habitat, she could not bear it. And so, for over 60 years, that forest has always thrived and never been cut down or sold.

Having lived with the storks for many years, Mrs. Khiem understands all the habits of this bird species. From March to August of the lunar calendar is the breeding season of storks. The characteristic of this species is that they do not raise their young among themselves. Many young storks get lost from the flock or are weak, or fall from the nest due to the rain and wind. She has to bring them home to raise and care for them until they can fly and find food on their own, then she releases them back to the flock.

“Many people say I'm crazy, but I just do it with all my passion and heart, without seeking any personal benefit,” Ms. Khiem shared.

In the past, every year, when the storks returned to nest, hunters would come into the garden or stand at the edge of the forest to shoot them, which made Mrs. Khiem very sad. Now, thanks to the government's propaganda, people's awareness of protecting the storks has increased, and no one comes to Mrs. Khiem's ​​stork garden to hunt. Recently, the local government has helped her fence off the entire 5-hectare forest area of ​​her family with steel mesh. Every year, Song Lo district also allocates funds to support Mrs. Khiem in taking care of the forest and protecting the stork garden.

Ms. Khiem was awarded a Certificate of Merit and a Commemorative Medal for World Environment Day by the People's Committee of Vinh Phuc province, and by the Ministry of Science , Technology and Environment. She has devoted her life to the forest - where flocks of storks have lived and thrived for decades. Photo: VNA.

Mr. Dao Tien Trung, Chairman of Hai Luu Commune People's Committee, Song Lo District (Vinh Phuc Province) said: Since 2010, the Commune People's Committee has requested the Center for EnvironmentalEducation and Social Issues, the Global Environment Fund, and the Program for Funding Small Projects in Vietnam to invest in building a model for organizing the management and sustainable use of Hai Luu Bird Garden.

The commune assigned human resources to coordinate with Dong Dua village, directly supporting Mrs. Khiem's ​​family to expand the bird garden land by nearly 1 hectare, set up protective fences, and plant additional trees. At the same time, it propagated and educated people to join hands with Mrs. Khiem's ​​family to preserve biodiversity, bird gardens and the environment, contributing to building a new countryside.

However, Ms. Khiem is still worried because of the rapid urbanization, the stork garden area is no longer as deserted as it was 15-20 years ago.

People's multi-storey houses have sprung up close to forests, fields, and filled-in ponds, limiting the habitat and food source for storks, causing the number of storks returning to the garden to decrease. Preserving and maintaining the living space for storks is always a concern in her mind.

Ms. Khiem shared: Many years ago, someone offered her 50 - 60 billion VND to buy back the forest, but she refused to sell.

“Money is precious, but I cannot sell it because this is the home of the stork family, the passion of my life. If I sell it, where will the storks go, who will protect and take care of them? I always encourage my children and grandchildren to try to preserve the stork garden, continue to plant more trees so that this place is a good land, a common home for animals.”

At 82 years old and 56 years in the Party, Ms. Khiem still works hard every day to plant trees, afforest, and build nests for storks. With her contributions to environmental protection, Ms. Khiem has been awarded many times by the People's Committee of Vinh Phuc province with a Certificate of Merit, a commemorative medal for World Environment Day, a commemorative medal from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment; and the 2002 Environmental Award...

Continuing Mrs. Khiem’s passion, her granddaughter Nguyen Ngoc Hien shared: “Having been cared for and raised by her since childhood under the canopy of this forest, I will continue to develop and protect the forest and the flock of storks with her. At the same time, I will educate the next generation of children and grandchildren to love and protect the forest so that this place will always be a warm home for flocks of birds to return to.”

Source: https://danviet.vn/ben-dong-song-lo-o-vinh-phuc-ba-nong-dan-nay-co-mot-khu-rung-dan-tra-gia-60-ty-sao-ba-chua-ban-20241119122018728.htm