Nine centuries-old bachang mango or Mangifera foetida trees have been recognized as Vietnam’s Heritage Trees by the Vietnam Association for Nature and Environment.
These trees are located in Hanoi's Voi Phuc Temple of Thuy Chuong Village in Thuy Khue Ward of Tay Ho District. Nguyen Van Tung, 77, head of the management board of the Voi Phuc Temple, told a story of a group of Japanese researchers who, in 1999, asked him to help determine the age of the mango trees.
"After investigating, measuring and using tools to drill holes in the trees, it was concluded that the trees were between 700-1,000 years old," Tung said.
The Voi Phuc Temple, completed in 1077, was built on Thuy Khue Street in honor of Prince Linh Lang, who sacrificed himself during a fight against foreign invaders. In memory of the prince locals planted nine mango trees around the temple to create a fresh and cool place for worshippers to pray, said Tung.
"Locals chose to plant mango trees because they are known to be strong, have a long life-expectancy and boast large branches," said Tung.
Thuy Chuong villagers pledged to join hands in preserving the rare trees by not building near them, cutting them down, or damaging them in any way.
Nguyen Nguyen Cuong, director of the centre for Education and Communications and Environment under the Vietnam Unions for Science and Technology, who is also the head of a project that protects old trees in Hanoi, said these trees are valuable Vietnamese assets.
"Since 2008 our researchers have investigated and created a map of the oldest trees in Hanoi," Cuong told Viet Nam News.
No comments:
Post a Comment