As of July 2026, Điện Biên had more than 436,000ha of forest, with forest cover reaching 45.7%. Natural forests accounted for more than 427,758ha, or 98.41% of the total. With this advantage, Điện Biên is considered to have considerable room for developing carbon credit projects, particularly REDD+ - an international mechanism aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by combating deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries - as well as agroforestry models associated with macadamia and coffee cultivation.

To participate in the carbon credit market, the province is planning to develop a forest carbon database, implement pilot projects and gradually establish a forest carbon credit market, thereby turning the ecological value of forests into a resource for forest protection, livelihood improvement and green economic development.

At the workshop “Forest carbon credit market and opportunities for Điện Biên,” organized on August 8 by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection, the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences and Forest Trends, Lê Xuân Cảnh, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that developing carbon credits was not simply about creating a new type of commodity, but also an opportunity to transform the ecological value of forests into financial resources for sustainable development.

Revenue from carbon credits could be reinvested in forest protection, natural forest restoration and improved resource management capacity, while also helping local people improve their livelihoods, increase their incomes and strengthen their ability to adapt to climate change.

At the workshop, Trần Lâm Đồng, Deputy Director of the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, said that Điện Biên has a large area of natural forest and is one of six localities participating in a REDD+ project approved by the Green Climate Fund on March 26, 2026, with support from JICA. This provides an important foundation for the province to continue developing project documents at the local level and determining forest coverage, reference levels and implementation boundaries.

According to Trần Lâm Đồng, in the initial stage, Điện Biên should prioritize REDD+ together with AFP, referring to agroforestry and scattered tree planting. Approaches such as afforestation, assisted natural regeneration and forest tending, and natural forest enrichment could be considered at a later stage.

AFP is also considered well suited to Điện Biên’s production conditions. Macadamia and coffee could become important crops in models that both provide livelihoods and increase carbon absorption capacity.

Điện Biên plans to expand its macadamia cultivation area to approximately 40,000ha by 2030. If properly planned and sustainably developed, macadamia could not only help green bare land and barren hills and mountains and create marketable agricultural products, but also be combined with revenue from forest environmental services and carbon credits. By producing agricultural products while increasing carbon absorption and storage capacity, such models could generate additional value for farmers.

However, the province currently lacks detailed published data on the condition of natural forests classified as rich, medium, poor, severely degraded and recovering. Such data are important for determining reference levels for REDD+ as well as appropriate approaches to natural forest tending and enrichment.

For AFP models, some areas currently planted with macadamia and coffee are located on land designated as protection or production forest and do not yet have stable land-use rights. Therefore, reviewing and resolving overlaps between forest planning and areas planted with perennial crops, as well as completing land and forest allocation documents, are important prerequisites for developing projects.

A carbon project requires not only a large forest area but also proof of legal land and forest-use rights, clearly defined boundaries on maps, and carbon data that are complete, accurate, consistent and transparent.

In response to these requirements, the province has identified several priorities: reviewing and conducting additional surveys of current forest conditions, particularly poor and severely degraded natural forests; identifying areas of bare land and barren hills and mountains; zoning priority areas for different types of projects; resolving overlaps between forest planning and macadamia and coffee cultivation areas; and completing land and forest allocation documents.

Under the current roadmap, the 2026-2027 period will focus on developing the project scheme, completing baseline data and implementing pilot projects. During 2028-2030, official projects will be registered in accordance with national standards and administrative procedures.

For now, the REDD+ project is considered an approach that can build on the existing foundation. In parallel with REDD+, the province plans to pilot AFP models in concentrated macadamia and coffee-growing areas. These models will need to be linked to the completion of land records, the establishment of partnerships among forest owners and the design of production models that meet carbon credit requirements.

In the long term, the province’s forestry and agricultural development goals will continue to expand the potential of the carbon market. By 2030, Điện Biên aims to establish 1,000ha of new concentrated forests, promote natural regeneration across nearly 52,000ha of natural forest, raise forest cover to approximately 47% and develop around 1,000ha of medicinal plants.

If implemented in a coordinated manner, these goals will create a stronger link between forest protection, agricultural development, livelihood improvement and emissions reduction. Carbon credits could then become more than a new type of commodity; they could serve as a driving force encouraging local people, communities and forest owners to pay greater attention to forest protection, forest restoration and climate change adaptation.