However, alongside the development of coffee on legitimate agricultural land, a situation has emerged in Mường Ảng commune where some households have arbitrarily planted coffee on forest land and cleared vegetation under the forest canopy for cultivation.

Facing this reality, local Party committees, authorities, and functional forces have increased reviews and inspections to promptly detect and strictly handle violations. These efforts aim to protect existing forest areas while ensuring that coffee development remains sustainable and aligned with official planning.

In mid-September 2025, authorities discovered that 16 households in Giảng and Huổi Sứa villages of Mường Ảng commune had cleared undergrowth in Sub-zone 652, plot 5, lot b - an area consisting of poor evergreen broad-leaved natural forest on earthen mountains - to plant coffee. The total affected area was 1.87 hectares. This specific forest had been assigned to the Giảng village community for management and protection, qualifying them for forest environmental service payments.

At the time of discovery, the residents had only cleared shrubs and had not yet engaged in felling trees. An interdisciplinary task force from Mường Ảng commune immediately suspended the activities, requiring the households to stop all impacts and refrain from planting coffee on the cleared land. Authorities also intensified the dissemination of forest protection regulations and required households to sign commitments against future violations.

Despite these measures, by early 2026, some households in Giảng village returned to the area to continue digging holes in preparation for coffee planting. In response, the Mường Ảng Forest Protection Unit coordinated with village management to prevent further encroachment and increased educational efforts to ensure no “hot spots” of forest land invasion developed.

On a scorching afternoon in late March, we joined officers from the Mường Ảng Forest Protection Unit for a community meeting in Giảng village. The meeting focused on forest protection and fire prevention regulations, specifically highlighting the issue of encroaching on forest land for coffee cultivation. By 14:00, representatives from the households were present at the village head’s house. Beyond warning about fire risks during the dry season, forest rangers focused on legal regulations and directly addressed the concerns and petitions of residents regarding the clearing of undergrowth for coffee.

During the meeting, most residents expressed a desire to expand coffee areas within the forest of Sub-zone 652, which had already been assigned to the community. Quàng Thị Tinh, a resident of Giảng village, shared that since coffee prices are currently high and offer significant economic value, her family strongly wished to plant more to increase their income. In September 2025, she and several others cleared nearly 1,000 square meters of what they considered old family fields to plant coffee, but they were stopped by the commune task force. Although she had intended to continue expanding this year, she decided to abandon the plan after receiving further guidance from the forest rangers.

However, Quàng Thị Tinh and others like Lò Văn Thư requested that authorities clarify why three specific households in the village were permitted to plant coffee in that general area while others were not. To resolve these concerns, a task force led by Nguyễn Hồng Thanh, Deputy Head of the Mường Ảng Forest Protection Unit, provided specific explanations. The task force emphasized that Sub-zone 652, plot 5, lot b is state-assigned land with land-use certificates granted to the community, making any clearing for coffee a violation.

To address the perceived discrepancy in permissions, the task force escorted the residents to the field. Using maps of the three forest types and marking specific boundaries, the rangers clarified that the areas used by the three permitted households sat outside the forest planning zones. In contrast, the areas cleared by the other households fell entirely within the designated protection forest of Mường Ảng commune, where cultivation is strictly prohibited. This direct verification helped the residents understand the boundaries and legal requirements, preventing further violations. Quàng Thị Tinh noted that after the field identification, she fully understood the regulations and pledged not to repeat the encroachment.

Village Head Quàng Văn Muôn stated that the situation emerged in 2025, and the village protection team has since been visiting households to prevent recurrences. Currently, 100% of households have recognized the issue and are complying with the decisions of the Mường Ảng commune People’s Committee and the Forest Protection Unit. This incident was one of 71 forestry law violations detected and handled by the Mường Ảng Forest Protection Unit since July 1, 2025.

Nguyễn Hồng Thanh noted that the trend of encroaching on forests for coffee increased in mid-2025 when prices reached multi-year highs. Violations have centered on Mường Ảng - the province’s key coffee region - and have begun spreading to neighboring areas like Mường Lạn and Nà Tấu. In response, interdisciplinary task forces have been inspecting sites, suspending violations, and requiring the removal of illegally planted coffee. For areas where owners cannot be identified, authorities use public broadcasting to request self-remediation before taking direct action to restore the forest’s original state.

While high coffee prices serve as a catalyst for economic development and agricultural restructuring, the expansion of cultivation must strictly adhere to land-use plans. Functional forces in Mường Ảng continue to strengthen patrol coordination to promptly detect and prevent violations, ensuring the protection of existing forest resources.