Hanh Dich is a high mountainous commune, located in the border area between Laos-Vietnam in the Northwest of Que Phong district, Nghe An province. By 2012, the commune has 11 villages, 691 households with 3294 people. In which, more than 98% of the population are the Thai ethnic minority group, the rest is a number of Kinh (Vietnamese) who are border armies, teachers and traders.

The Thai in Hanh Dich is historically derived from Thanh Hoa province, Laos and villages in Quy Chau district to settle in Hanh Dich for over 300 years ago. 11 villages of Hanh Dich all locate along the Nam Viec River - a watershed tributary of the Hieu River. Although long-term settling, two groups of the Thai as Tay Thanh and Tay Muong in Hanh Dich have retained their distinct cultures. The Tay Thanh resides mainly in the higher alttitude areas including remote villages near the Vietnam-Laos border such as Khom, Cham Put, Mut, Cong, Na Sai and Hua Muong. This group mainly derives from Thanh Hoa province (Vietnam) and Laos. The Tay Muong mostly resides in the lower alttitude aeras, including villages such as Pom Om, Pa Co, Cham, Pa Kim and Chieng. This group has historically moved from central communes of Que Phong district and Qui Chau. The Tay Muong earlier made contracts with outsid society and Kinh people than the Tay Thanh.
After nearly 50 years of establishment of Que Phong district (19/04/1963), Hanh Dich has undergone several splits and mergers. Currently, the commune has 18,026.24 hectares of natural area, including forest land accounted for 89.8% (16,887.7 ha). The forestland area is currently managed by several users, including 10,533.7 hectares of the Pu Hoat National Conservation Area, approximately 1,400 hectares planned for the Nghe An General Youth Assocation Division 7 for establishement of economic development zone (planned assigning about 6,000 hectares, but there is actually not enough land) (this is the Rubber Plantation Que Phong), nearly 6,000 hectares for the Management Board of Protection Forest, the rest for Hanh Dich Communal People’s Committee.  In the area where the Hanh Dich Communal People’s Committee manages, there are only 288.11 hectares for agricultural production especially arable land rice has only 149.32 ha. Therefore, most of familes in villages does not have enough food. The rate of poverty in whole commune remains high with 80.1% of 2007 and 68.8 % of 2012. Due to limited arable land, to secure livelihoods, in addition to rice cultivation and livestock, villagers have to open more forest for cultivation i.e. growing maize, potatoes, cassava, vegetables, harveting bambood shoots, herbal medicine and other non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Even, many people work as hired labors for outside illegal logging traders.

Forest, land, rivers and streams have been historically existing spaces of local residents. People rely on this space for cultivation, housing, gardening, livestock grazing, etc. At the same time, this space is for cultural activities of the commnity. According to the belief of people, mountains, forests, caves, streams, rivers, waterfalls and so sorth are all governed by Spirits (Pu Ke Me Khuong, Tao Pu, Nang Pha), each residential area has ‘Pu Zua’, ‘Lac Xan’ - a place of worship to the pioneer leader who is firest discover and set up a village), and a cemetery (Dong) to bury the dead. Those places are sacred to the local residents. People select land for settling houses and making fields in according to their traditions and the recognition of community. Therefore, the community could self-adjust the problems arising in the process of land and forest utilization.

The Thai have long experience in the use of forest trees as medicines, food, cooking, drinks and other objects for household. They also have many remedies for curing incurable diseases and saving the lives of people inside and outside the community. Timber, firewood, non-timber forest products are used regularly in the community such as housing and making tools for production. From the fact that people claimed their lives and forest land which are indispensable. People have needs to be granted the long-term use right to their forest land, which could help the community to maintain the traditional religious rituals, spirituality, and sustainable livelihood development.

In 2003, Towards Ethnic Women (TEW) supported Hanh Dich to implement forestland allocation under the Decree 163/1999/ND-CP of the Government. 203 households were granted the land use right certificates (red books) with 2,132 ha and temporarily allocated 265 ha – not yet having land use right certificates for 19 mass-organizations (i.e. Women's Union, Farmers' Associations, Oriental Medicine Associations). With the proper application of community baseed approach in forestland allocation, so far disputes and land claims are not happened. The forests allocated for households are not cleared barily for cultivation as the 90s of the XX century. Thanks to the project on "Capacity building for community” of TEW and SPERI, people, especially women who know how to organize their family life towards prosperity, progress and happiness. They are able to acquire scientific and technical progress associated with the promotion of indigenous knowledge in planning for production (cultivation and livestock), restoration and development of traditional handicraft, as well establishment of community based interest groups such as saving-credit gardening, oriential medicinal assocations. These groups have worked effectively and significantly contributed to the progress of poverty alleviation and development of the communities.

Pom Om village is located on an undulating rocky hill near the Nam Viec River and the road to the border between Vietnam and Laos. Pom Om is one of the villages located in the centre of Hanh Dich, with its next to the Nam Viec River, south with Muong Noc and Chau Kim communes, east with Tien Phong commune and Pa Co village, west with Khom village. Pom Om is a village influenced by the interaction of the two groups of Thai as Tay Thanh and Tay Muong. There are 68 households with 327 people in Pom Om. The total area of the village is 663.75 hectares with 508.15 hectares of agricultural land, of which there are 487.3 ha of forest land, 17.75 hectares of crop land and 14.3 hectares of non-agricultural land. From 2001, Pom Om is a one of three villages selected as pilot models in implementation the project on "Capacity Building for Community" under the support of TEW. Villagers participated in different activities of the project such as trainings and study-tours to learn and share experiences in development within and outside the province. The most prominent activities of the project are forestland allocation under the Decree 163/1999-ND-CP, construction of driking water supply, irrigation, establishment of different community organizations i.e. livestock, garderning and handicraft groups, and oriental medicinal assocation. These groups are well organized and contributing practical results for the development of communities. Pom Om is recognized as the first "Cultural Village" in Hanh Dich.

Given the above characteristics and achievements, Que Phong District People's Committee and Hanh Dich Communal People’s Committee under the support of SPERI have collaborated to implement the pilot project on forestland allocation for Pom Om community under the Joint Circular No.07/TTLT/MARD & MONRE dated 29/1/2011 on “Guiding forest allcation and lease assocated with forestland allotment and lease”. As a result, Que Phong District Chairman signed Decision No.616/QD-UBND dated 06/19/2012 to allocate 426.52 ha of forest land for Pom Om. In which there are 275.6 hectares of the area of forest land and 150.92 hectares of barren land. On 09/19/2012, Que Phong district people’s committee and SPERI organized a ceremony to handle the land use right certificate for Pom Om. The majority of the people in Pom Om clearly knows the boundaries and status of allocated forestland area as well as realizes the challenges and solutions in the post allocation. Moreover, Pom Om also set up its own customary law based regulation for forestland management, and plans for development each types of forest land (i.e. watershed area, spiritual forest, protected forest, use and rehabilitated forests, grazing areas, aro-forestry production zones, herbal medicine plant forest, and cemetery.

During the implementation of the Joint Ciercular 07 in Pom Om, Que Phong District People’s Committee has some lessons learnt as follows:

Agreements upon the legal basis

Forest land allocation to communities and households is the policy of the Party and State. Government, ministries and local governments have issued several legal documents to direct and guide the implementation. So, prior to forestland allocation to the community, Que Phong district people’s committee and SPERI have agreed upon an agreement and plans of implementation. This is a right and reasonable step in order to create unity in leadership and direction of the district executive committee, people’s committee, local authorities, initiative of consulting agencies, as well support and consent participation of the community at the grassroots level.

Clear understand of specific conditions, characteristics of the locals and practical needs of the people

This is necessary to help the district and communal authorities, advisory agency (SPERI) and staffs involved in the forestland allocation to clearly understand the specific current state, needs of the community; while promoting indigenous knowledge, role of the community in every step of foretland allocation as well as resolving conflicts / disputes / overlaps. The primary approach which was properly and effectively applied in Pom Om is community based forestland allocation.

Responsible and capable human resources and availability of legal documents

Distict People’s Committee decided to establish the Steering Committee on Forestland Allocation headed by Vice Chairman of the district, District Forestland Allocation Group for technical implementation.  At the communal level, a Council of Forestland Allocation and Forestland Allocation Team with represetnation of Communal Fatherland Front and mass-organizations, and Pom Om. This step is essential in order to assign specific tasks and responsibilities to different relable actors in the process of implementation.

Forestland boundary idenfitication, conflict resolutions and forestland allocation planning

The project organized different meetings and consultations with elderly, clan’s heads, mass-organizations and oriential medicinal assocation in Pom Om in order to withdraw the temproparily allocated forestland areas under Degree 163. These areas are then combined the area expected to allocate for Pom Om. Boundaries amongst land areas of families which were allocated under the Degree 163 and with other users were clearly defined. The reclaimed land areas which are used families i.e. Na Mo and Ten Puc locations were taken into production area of the community. Afterwards, these areas were allocated for above families to use. One of the most important steps in whole process is forestland use planning and setting up the customary law based regulation in forest management. The forestland use plan of Pom Om is then officially approved and integrated into the formal management system.

The management and use of community forestland is a reality, so forestland allocation to the community is an urgent need from practice, to ensure that communities have natural resources to maintain the cultural values, spiritual beliefs and daily livelihood.

Towards the efficiency and sustainability of the forestland allocation, it is required to have full participation of the community, particularly the role of elderly, and clan’s heads during the implementation process and to respect the belief / religion of the community. These local values must be integrated into the plans and regulations on forestland management, use and development. Such basis would be a key to ensure the forestland allocation to community effectively and sustainably. The experience and lessons learned here should be applied and expanded to other Thai communities in Que Phong.

Lang Văn Minh
(Source: Workshop Proceeding on Community Forest - Practices and Policies hosted by SPERI on 9^th October 2012)