A roughly 600-year-old tree at the temple of General Tran Nguyen Han in Son Dong commune of Lap Thach district, the northern province of Vinh Phuc, has been granted heritage status.
The “loc vung” tree, scientifically named Barringtonia acutangula (L) Gaertn, is about 10 metres tall and has a leaf canopy of nearly 20 metres.
The temple where it grows is dedicated to General Tran Nguyen Han, whose hometown was Lap Thach district. He greatly contributed to the victory of the Lam Son uprising against the Ming invaders in 1427.
After he passed away, local people built the temple and planted the “loc vung” tree there to honour him.
The programme to select and honour Vietnam’s heritage trees was launched in 2011 by the VACNE in a bid to conserve their genetic resources and raise public awareness of environmental protection.
To win the honour, the trees must be at least 200 years old in the case of wild trees, and at least 100 years for those planted. They should also be connected with the historical and cultural characteristics of the area where they grow.
Those which do not meet the criteria, yet have special values to science, history or culture, will also earn recognition.