The lyrics of the Ma Lieng woman singing at sunset on the banks of Khe Nung river, said it all: "if we can’t find rattan and taro in the forest, we will be hungry”. Her words expose the suffering of her people and the failure of the government civilising programme, whose effect has been to dis-empower and de-culture the Ma Lieng.

Old A Xinh just smiled and smiled without saying a word when some journalists wanted to interview him on his feeling of receiving the Certificate of Forestland Management and Use Right of Ka Bay Village. It’s December 4^th, 2013, and now A Xinh, his descendants, and the rest of the Ka Bay's community have received the rights granted by the Sa Thay District's government over two areas: the Sacred Forest, Water Drop Forest and Watershed Forest.

(ĐCSVN) – The mountainous area in Vietnam where is home to different ethnic minority groups accounts for three quarters of the whole country. Yet, some main discrepancies are that ethnic minorities do not have efficient productive and residential land; ethnic minorities are capable of planting, tending and protecting forest, but are limited in accessing to forest land rights.

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 home to several ethnic groups such as Hmong, Dao, Khang and Kho Mu. 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.