Bat Xat is the giant mountainous area, high and dangerous, and difficult of access. It is located in the west of Lao Cai province. Here is famous with the peaks of Hoang Lien Son mountain range, all year covered by the mist, and where is the geographical area of some ethnic minorities such as Hmong, Dao, Khang and Kho Mu. So far, due to many reasons, internally and externally, the entire region does not have much forest or just a little rare the sparse of regenerated forest... But, amongst such a vast bare land, surrounding the village of the Ha Nhi people has still lush green forests with old trees, brushwood as the oasis of peace. The roofs with many different shapes, overhang on the hillsides, the foot of terraced fields in the blue of corns, the winding streets go along the mountains to form a huge romantic picture.

As a group who mostly live in the northern mountains, the Northern Vietnam and some areas of the south of Yunnan province in China. Since the 8^th century, the ancient bibliographic wrote about the presence of the Ha Nhi people in Northwest of Vietnam. Based on the characteristics of the costumes, the Ha Nhi is classified into two main sub-categories: The Flower Ha Nhi and the Black Ha Nhi. The Flower Ha Nhi is mainly living in some districts of Lai Chau province. Currently, the Black Ha Nhi has about 15,000, in which residents in Lao Cai province counted for nearly 4,000 people, mostly concentrated in Y Ty commune, Nam Pung, Ngai Thau, A Lu, Trinh Tuong and so on of Bat Xat district. Here is well-known as the most spectacular natural scenery on the border of Vietnam and China, and also the famous location in the song "Nơi con sông Hồng chảy vào đất Việt”, meaning “Where the Red River Flows into the Vietnamese Soil” that poets - Lo Ngan Sun, a poet of the Giay People in Bat Xat has put his warmest love in the poem so-called ‘Gửi em ở cuối sông Hồng’.

In the oral stories of the Ha Nhi people, around 50 years ago, they origin from a tribe named ‘De Khuong’ in the North. The Ha Nhi residents have lived in Lao Cai province from about 300 years ago.

Situated at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level, leaning back as the Nhu Cu San Soaring Mountain, among the vast landscape, liberal, huge array of heaven and earth, the home of the Ha Nhi is almost year-round clouded, all day the sun rarely shines. So that, many people called Y Ty by the name of the misty land. If calling Y Ty as ‘Quan Hoa’ (Chinese), the language is popular to almost communities here, then Y Ty means Land of Rain ... Such a short name reflects very clearly the image of the high mountains with clouds in many shapes,  year round hugging such as an inter- generational sticking point. From there, the waterfalls pouring down on the hill in a frozen rock looks like the hair of girls. All of these make a scene that is both poetic and wild of the mountainous domain. In the midst of untouched mist and wind land is the Lao Chai community where the fresh water flow is peaceful all day and night running.

Lao Chai, according to the Chinese language means "original setting", "old setting", as this is the first village with 80 households (100%) of the Black Ha Nhi. The most outstanding characteristic of all Ha Nhi groups is the house. Living in the high mountains, the hazardous climate, the ‘Trinh Tuong’ houses with a solid mud wall, looking from far like a giant mushroom not only a place of living of each family, but also a strong fortress to against the cold of winter and the immense wind of highlands. This characteristic is maintained in all areas, villages over generations. To new comers, it can be said that, the house likes a full introduction, friendly and full of cultural identity of the Ha Nhi.

One of the most notable characteristics of the Ha Nhi’s houses is the pile of dry wood neatly in the corner of the stone yard. These stones are cut from the rocks on mountains, assembled together to become a rocky foundation more sustainable than all other materials. This is also the traditional culture of the Ha Nhi ... Until today, this pile of wood, even though not much more, but is still there, likes stone yards which yet penetrate silently and faithfully inside the ‘Trinh Tuong’ houses through the lasting mist covering. From the past, the Ha Nhi people have perceived the wealth of each family through this pile of wood. In addition to representing the property, the pile of wood also shows the modest hardworking woman. Any family in the village of Ha Nhi The in Y Ty has woodpile in the stone yard. This is not just the silent embodiment of desire to the wealth, but also the notion to whole community that, this is the house of naïve, energetic, bright, and hardworking people.

Have living among the abundant nature, but rigid, wood is an expression of the modest, hard work, the quiet embodiment of desire to wealth. Yet, the Ha Nhi is a group who has a tradition in protecting forest strictly. This at first seems paradoxical, but if having sat to have some drinks with men of the Ha Nhi in the black ball of the house, have to go with them to the forests, listening and thinking with them, the more we realize the profound philosophy of this story. Like many ethnic minorities who closely attach with the forest, in the past, the Ha Nhi ancestor lived with the forest and mountains, believed the sacred forest is their source of life. Their concept of forest and trees, animals in the forest have life as human beings; each forest has a reigning spirit. People with plants, with animals in the forest have relative relationships. Some wildlife of plant and animal are the totems of clans ... With such a concept, all community members of the Ha Nhi have an attitude of respect, care and protection of forest thoroughly...

In the warm ‘Trinh Tuong’ house of the elder Phu Ha Gio, men are sitting near the fireplace. The elder is sitting and drinking. In the flickering firelight and incense scented corn alcohol, elder Phu Ha Gio said: "The Ha Nhi people called as ‘Phu’. Every ‘Phu’ has different types of forest including forbidden forest, sacred forest and community forest. Lao Chai too, there are four forbidden forests. They are ‘Ga Ma Do’, Mu Thu Do’ to worship the ‘Thu Ti’ Spirit, and recreation forest as ‘A Go La Do’. All of these are respected, worshiped and protected by whole community over many generations.  Each forest has its own regulations in terms of specific timing, offerings, and prayers. No one is allowed to violate this regulation. In the past, some people who come from outside, due to do not know this rule, cut down some trees in sacred forests, got strick fines by the Spirits and whole community…"

The belief and religion which were formed from living closely to nature have created a basis of culture of the community. Thereby, it becomes the values of the traditional culture and indigenous knowledge of the Ha Nhi.  In turn, these values serve the livelihoods of people. The story of elder Phu Ha Gio is simple, but it is minimalist of the rich culture which has been painstakingly preserved and transformed through many generations of the Ha Nhi.

Being as the sacred forest, ones are now allow to violate, exception to the person, known as ‘Gac Ma Guy’ who is assigned by whole community to take care of the ritual in the forest. In Lao Chai, ‘ Gac ma Guy’ is for this year is Mr Phu Che Xa, son of elder Phu Ha Gio.  Adding a more dry log in the fire,  Phu Che Xa  stood up, and with some other youths in the community led us to visit the forest, a rare behavior in this village in the days that are not of the traditional festival.

‘Ga Ma Do’ is the most important sacred forest to worship the village spirit. ‘Ga Ma Do’ of Lao Chai village has a worshiping place for both female and male village spirits, so-called ‘wife forest’ and ‘husband forest’.  The destiny of villagers is tied to the fate of these forests, so the Ha Nhi in general bans everyone in the sacred forest. Mr Phu Che Xa – a ‘Gac Ma Guy’ said: "every dry tree in these forests is not allowed to collect. Even, the rule requires villagers to walk in the forest by barefoot, not wear footwear ... Every year, only in the day of worshiping the “Ga Ma Do”, usually on the dragon day, namely ‘Lo No’ in January or February of Lunar calendar, all members of the community follow the spiritual leader as ‘Mi Cu’ and his assistant as ‘La Cha’ to go to the sacred forest to do rituals ".

Along with “Ga Ma Do’ is the recreation forest, namely ‘A Go La Do’. People in Lao Cai also call this forest as ‘Forest Park’. This forest is the venue for ‘Kho Za Za’ – the biggest Traditional Seasonal Festival in the year of the Ha Nhi to ask for the protection of the Spirits to their crops and harvests. This is also called ‘June Festival, when rice starts up and maize ups green after sowing.  Namely ‘Recreation Forest’ or ‘Forest Park’, but this is strictly protected, ban everyone to cut the tree.

The third sacred forest is ‘Mu Thu Do’. This forest is located at lower altitude, normally at the bottom of the water sources of the community and near the farming areas. According to the notion of the Ha Nhi, the forest spirit to worship ‘Mu Thu Do’ is female, the wife of ‘Ga Ma Do’.  Therefore, the tree which is worshiped in the ‘Mu Thu Do’ forest must be one with flowers and fruits, but not necessarily the fruit species. The Female Forest Spirit ‘Mu Thu Do’ blesses the community the growth, development, good season, best harvests and livestock, and crowded children. With such a perception, the Ha Nhi also combines the ‘Mu Thu Do’ ritual with the sowing ceremony namely ‘gu Xe Xe’.

Going around some forests of Lao Chi took all morning. Calling as forest, but each place, the biggest is just more than one hectare; the smallest looks like as a cluster of not over ten old trees. All of these are interwoven with the plots of farm and the roofs of houses as a great human-nature harmonious architecture. Behind this lovely interaction are numerous young shoots of trees, of the people and the culture of the Ha Nhi which are being nursery...

As a remote commune, it could be said, is the most difficult commune of Bat Xat in particular, Lao Cai as a whole, for today, Y Ty has highest density and best quality of forest. Perhaps outside of the Hoang Lien National Park, the only remaining 8,000-hectare of forest in the Ha Nhi region is the primeval in Lao Cai province ... Growing on rocky mountain, at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, the primeval forest of Y Ty is well known as ‘hanging forest’ - an invaluable asset, a source of ecological capital of the Ha Nhi must be appreciated.

Given the belief, love and respect for nature, the Ha Nhi people in Y Ty have contributed actively to the protection of the natural resources of their hometown. Community-based forest protection is a new concept that is seen not too long, but perhaps never and not where it is evident as Y Ty. With the characteristics of climate and soil on this border land, the appearance of the forests is not only as a mere existence, but must admit it as a rise, a maturity in the heaven and earth.

As well as the Mong people and many other ethnic minorities who live closely to nature, the Ha Nhi also has the customary law to regulate behaviors among people in the community as well to deal with nature, forest and mountain. This law has been respected and transformed throughout generations. Until today, it has become customary law based regulations of the villages. The customary law of the Ha Nhi educates anyone who violates the forbidden forest will be strictly sanctioned in cash, and forced to replant with trees cut down. Not only growing, the violators then have to take care of the trees growing up. This is really a very unique customary law and humanity, not only demonstrates the rule of customary law, but also the kindness and justice of man with nature. This could be hard to some government agencies.  With such serious lessons, it has created a "real armor" in the sense of the Ha Nhi in forest protection. Thus, although the main road running through the middle of forest, the commodity economy has opened up, but besides the sacred forests, more than 8,000 ha of primary forest of Y T are still intact wild, wonders and mysterious, still steadily reaching its beefy body to protect the villages, and maintain the clear cool water to feed streams flowing year round. All of these create Y Ty to become the best eco-lasting source in mountains located to the west of Lao Cai city.

Nature is a fullness of favor, but nature does not pamper people. Nature has given to people everything, but what nature seeks to man is love and equal treatment. Today, witnessed numerous natural resistance to man in everywhere of the world, which happens every day and every hour, we just realize entire the meaning of the  cool and clear water flowing beneath the forests to irrigate green rice fields of Y Ty.

If seeing the community as a body, the water source which has been nurtured by the forests is the blood to maintain the life. But not only that, the forests of Y Ty also provide the communities both the beauty and prosperity. For years, the cardamom grown under the forest canopy has become the highly valuable source of income of the Ha Nhi people in the communes of Y Ty, Den Sang, Sang Ma Sao and so forth in Bat Xat. From this, communities of the Mong, Dzao, Ha Nhi have sufficient foods, as well saving to re-invest for their higher quality of life.

And the forests thereby more peace …

Luong Ngoc An