In the central province of Phu Yen, some mango trees have been around for 220 years. And last February 9, a formal ceremony was held to officially recognize 20 of them as Heritage Trees of Vietnam.
The ancient trees are specifically situated at the compound of Tu Quang (Da Trang) Buddhist Temple, Can Luong Village, An Dan Commune, Tuy An District. During the declaration rite, the place was swarmed with thousands of visitors from all over the world. Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Conservation and Environment (VACNE) Mr. Nguyen Dieu presented the certificate of the Vietnam Heritage Tree to the temple managers.
VACNE started the program of conserving heritage trees in Vietnam in 2011. A tree should meet the following criteria in order to be recognized as Heritage: (Wild trees) Must be at least 200 years old, (Planted trees) Must be at least 100 years old; The tree should be “connected with historical and cultural characteristics of the area where they grow.”
Based on official records, the mango trees at Phu Yen were planted by a Buddhist monk named Phap Chuyen in 1793. The fruit was said to be so tasty that it was fit enough to be offered to the kings. Today, amazingly, the trees still produce fruits every year despite its very old age.
To date, almost 500 trees have already been pronounced as a Vietnam Heritage Tree. This includes a Banyan Tree which has 13 roots located at Trai 1 Village, Ngo Quyen District, Northern City of Hai Phong. The tree was known to have the most number of roots in a Banyan ever recorded all over the country. It was declared as a Vietnam Heritage Tree on the same date as the 20 mango trees in Phu Yen
Aside from drawing in pilgrims from all parts of the globe and therefore strengthening its tourism, VACNE’s program of preserving ancient trees in Vietnam is a clear manifestation of a people’s love and care for its culture and country as a whole.
Photo by http://english.vietnamnet.vn/