Through the payment for forest environmental services policy, residents do not only gain extra income to stabilize their lives but also upgrade their awareness of protecting and developing forests. Areas of bare land and barren hills that were once left fallow are now being gradually greened, contributing to limiting erosion and landslides while improving the ecological environment.

Afforestation brings multiple practical benefits to the people in the highlands of Điện Biên. Greening bare land and barren hills helps limit the impacts of natural disasters and improves the ecological environment. When forests grow to meet prescribed criteria, residents benefit from funding through the payment for forest environmental services, providing them with more motivation to care for and protect forests sustainably.

From low economic efficiency corn and cassava fields on steep hillsides, residents in Na Sang commune have proactively shifted to afforestation to establish more stable and sustainable livelihoods. Participating in tree planting, households receive state support for seedlings, fertilizer, and labor wages for planting and caring for the forests during the first four years.

After the trees reach a height of 5m, a canopy cover of 0.1, and a good, contiguous survival rate, specialized agencies conduct inspections to include the areas in the payment for forest environmental services. This practical support policy, combined with a stable income from forests, has motivated many households in Na Sang commune to actively participate in afforestation, step-by-step elevating their income and improving their living standards.

The shift in mindset and practical actions of many households in Hin village stems from the family of Lò Văn Xuân, one of the pioneering households to convert upland fields into forests in Na Sang commune. Along the banks of the Nậm Mức river, his family’s five-year-old Chukrasia forest has now grown lush and green, with rows of trees reaching high and canopies covering the hillside. Realizing the efficiency of tree planting, his family continued to expand the area into the adjacent upland fields in 2024.

Lò Văn Xuân stated: “As the upland soil became degraded, my family shifted to afforestation. In the first year, the state supported us with tree seeds and fertilizer. For planting and tending labor alone, we received an investment of VND 160 million. My family tries to take good care of and protect the forest so we can receive funding from the payment for forest environmental services early on.”

The efficiency of the afforestation model of Lò Văn Xuân’s family has generated a widespread impact across the community. Many households with adjacent upland areas boldly converted them into forests, step-by-step replacing inefficient cultivation land. With support for seedlings, fertilizer, and labor costs in the early years, along with the source from the payment for forest environmental services when the area meets the prescribed criteria, residents feel more secure in binding themselves to the forests. Statistics show that from 2023 to the present, residents of Hin village in Na Sang commune have greened more than 30 ha of bare land with protection forests.

Located on a vast plateau, Si Pa Phìn commune possesses many arid mountainous areas and degraded upland fields after many years of cultivation. This land suffers from water scarcity, so residents typically farm a single crop and graze livestock. Years of cultivation have degraded the upland fields, and many areas were gradually abandoned, becoming bare hills.

Facing this reality, the local government mobilized residents to utilize the land fund to plant trees and develop forests. Over the past 10 years, Si Pa Phìn commune has planted 5 to 10 ha of new forest annually. From barren hills, pine forests are gradually greened on the mountain slopes, contributing to changing the landscape and improving the ecological environment. Even though it requires many years of care and protection to form lush green forests, the people of Si Pa Phìn remain steadfast, because this is the right direction to green degraded hillsides and step-by-step create long-term livelihoods.

The family of Mùa A Tùng in Chế Phù village used to own 7 ha of upland fields, but after many years of cultivation, the soil became degraded, and many crops no longer yielded efficiency. Unwilling to leave the land fallow, he boldly took pine seedlings to plant on a trial basis.

True to the spirit that diligence overcomes poor soil, after seven years, the pine forest has greened the arid upland fields. Mùa A Tùng and the residents of Chế Phù village expect that the growing pine forest areas will soon close their canopies, qualifying for the payment for forest environmental services policy. Looking further ahead, residents hope the green pine forests will contribute to creating a signature landscape for Si Pa Phìn, opening up opportunities for eco-tourism development and upgrading future incomes.

Mùa A Tùng shared: “Years ago, due to the arid soil, villagers planted eucalyptus and trẩu trees, but it was ineffective. The trẩu and eucalyptus all died, leaving bare hills, and the villagers left to work as hired laborers. In recent years, seeing that pine trees grow well, the villagers asked for pine seedlings to plant forests. Chế Phù village now has 5 ha of community forest, and villagers around this area are still planting more.”

With more than 17,000 ha of planned forestry land, Si Pa Phìn holds great potential for forest development. In recent years, local residents have actively participated in afforestation. In the two years of 2024 and 2025 alone, the locality planted more than 4,000 pine trees on bare land and bald hills. However, unforested land still accounts for 75% of the total forestry land area across the commune, meaning that greening bare land into forests requires drastic execution in forestry development orientation from the authorities alongside the companionship of the public.

Over the past 10 years, thanks to the involvement of all levels and sectors alongside the active response of the people, many bare mountainous areas in Điện Biên province have been greened. These are all critical, watershed areas playing a vital role in protecting soil, conserving water sources, and limiting risks of erosion and landslides.

Localities such as Quài Tở, Búng Lao, Na Sang, Si Pa Phìn, and Mường Nhà have become bright spots in afforestation and forest development. As of late May 2026, the entire province recorded more than 4,018 ha of planted forests receiving payment for forest environmental services. Many economic models linked with forests are encouraged by the province for replication, contributing to creating sustainable livelihoods for the people.

From barren, bald hills to green forests rising day by day, the journey of greening bare land in Điện Biên province demonstrates the perseverance of the public and the efficiency of forestry policies. When forests bring an island of stable income from the payment for forest environmental services and forest-linked livelihood models, residents gain far more motivation to care for and protect the forests.