In front of Tam Thai Pagoda in Marble Mountains Tourist Area in Da Nang, there is a small stone board engraved with the logo of Vietnam Heritage Trees below 2 Terminalia catappa trees". What are the criteria for these trees to be recognized as Vietnam Heritage Trees? Are there other trees in Ngu Hanh Son District with the same title?.

A 350-year-old Terminalia catappa tree in front of the Tam Thai pagoda’s entrances is in the season of changing leaves. Its trunk has many small parasitic trees. Photo: V.T.L

The 2 terminalia catappa trees are placed in harmony with the nature of the entrance to the Tam Thai pagoda on the southern side of Thuy Son (the Mountain of Water) of the Marble Mountains Tourist Area.

On March 18, 2010, at the conference "Conservation of Biodiversity in Truong Son mountain range", the Viet Nam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) officially launched a program to conserve Viet Nam Heritage Trees in order to rekindle the good traditions of our ancestors, practically protect rare genetic resources, actively contribute to the protection of the Vietnamese environment and limit global climate change.

At the conference, VACNE gave the criteria of Viet Nam Heritage Trees for 3 types of trees: A - natural trees (have lived over 200 years); B - plants (have lived over 100 years); C - other plants. Accordingly, in order to be recognized as a Heritage Tree, in addition to its tall, majestic stature and distinctive shape, the tree must belong to endemic, rare and valuable trees of culture and history. As for group C (other trees), although trees do not meet the above-mentioned technical criteria, they have special value in terms of science, history, culture, or aesthetics.

Once a tree meets the stated criteria, VACNE will honour the tree at vacne.org.vn (Conservation of Viet Nam Heritage Trees) page, which clearly states the history of the honoured tree and regular updates on health, management, protection of Heritage Trees and related issues. Besides, the recognition stone will be placed at the base of the Heritage Tree stating its name in Vietnamese as well as Latin.

According to the People's Committee of Ngu Hanh Son District, in November 2016, seven trees in the Marble Mountain Tourist Area have been recognised as Viet Nam Heritage Trees by the VACNE. In detail, they are an over 600-year-old ‘Sop’ (ficus pisocarpa blume) tree (the "oldest" in the Marble Mountains and located behind Linh Ung Pagoda), a 205 -year- old 'Thi' (diospyros decandra) tree (behind Tam Thai pagoda, 3 ‘Bo ket’ (locust) trees ( between 160 and 210 years old, still living normally in the area of Tang Chon cave), and 2 terminalia catappa trees.

Particularly, the 350-year-old terminalia catappa tree on the left and the 240-year-old one on the right of Tam Thai Pagoda have many small parasitic trees on their trunks. These two trees are located in a harmonious position between the natural scenery, shading the entrance to "Tam Thai Quoc Tu" and related to numerous folklore stories.

Reporting by DNO- Translating by T.VY