Part 3: The “torchbearer” amidst the vast wilderness

Through approachability, dedication, and practical deeds, Mì Nò helps local villagers understand that protecting the forest equates to preserving their ancestral roots, securing livelihoods, and maintaining peace along the border. From an individual directly involved in forest protection, she has steadily become a torchbearer, enabling love for the forest to take root across the community so that the primeval canopy remains preserved and carried forward across generations.

Sowing faith across the community

Carrying a profound attachment to the woodlands, Mì Nò quietly imparts that passion to the community. Beside the glowing hearth, through unpretentious stories recounted in the Hà Nhì language, Mì Nò speaks to villagers about upstream watershed forests, freshwater streams nurturing village settlements, farming seasons, and peaceful livelihoods preserved through countless generations. Thus, through every conversation and encounter, an awareness of forest conservation is sown and rooted across each village, rallying ever more hands to join forces in safeguarding the green canopy of their homeland.

“The Hà Nhì people love the forest deeply! To them, the forest is likened to a priceless treasure. Therefore, I always strive to stay close, converse, and explain so that villagers understand the value of the forest and join hands to protect it. I regularly take advantage of community gatherings, village visits, and forest excursions alongside residents to share simple, relatable insights. Once villagers understand, love the forest, and recognize its tangible benefits, forest protection becomes a voluntary civic mindset and a shared community endeavor,” shared Pờ Mì Nò.

“Having joined Mì Nò and patrol teams traversing dense forests and wading streams to inspect and control woodlands many times, I am profoundly impressed by this petite yet nimble and resilient Hà Nhì woman. On every patrol, Mì Nò moves swiftly, at times guiding the route, at other times pausing to point out subtle ecological traces in the wilderness. Mì Nò is also very approachable, sharing stories about the forest and methods to protect it. That sincerity and enthusiasm inspire villagers to trust, cherish, and partner with her in woodland conservation,” shared Chang Lòng Cà, Head of Leng Su Sìn village.

Pờ A Nhớ, from Phứ Ma village, remarked: “For generations, villagers have considered the forest a shared communal asset intimately linked to daily survival. Mì Nò regularly reminds and encourages villagers to unite in protecting woodlands and refrain from illegal logging or encroachment. On days when forest trails are long, steep, and arduous to traverse, villagers remain undeterred by hardship, working together to safeguard each woodland tract and preserve every green canopy for the village.”

Through her devotion to the woodlands and the dedication of an exemplary Party member and forest ranger, Mì Nò has earned increasing affection and trust from the Hà Nhì community. From unpretentious stories to practical actions, love for the forest has spread throughout the populace, enlisting growing numbers of households and villages to safeguard the green expanse on the westernmost frontier of the Fatherland.

Keeping Sín Thầu forests ever green

The forests at the westernmost frontier stand verdant through countless rainy and sunny seasons, embracing the hamlets and borderlands of Sín Thầu. With a forest cover rate reaching 71.05%, Sín Thầu stands proudly in the top tier of Điện Biên province in forest protection and development. That green canopy is maintained through the active engagement of the entire political system, the pioneering example of cadres and Party members such as Pờ Mì Nò, and above all, the unified resolve of the local population.

In the folk beliefs of the Hà Nhì people, there is a tradition of worshipping the forest deity, and every village preserves a sacred woodland sanctuary where tree felling is strictly taboo. In the second lunar month each year, local Hà Nhì people organize the Village Worship Ceremony (known locally as the Gạ Ma Thú ritual), the largest and most pivotal ceremony of the year. This festival aims to offer prayers to deities, including sacred forest spirits and ancestors, invoking favorable weather, abundant crop yields, sound health for villagers, and good fortune in their livelihoods.

Lỳ Sì Pò, a resident of Á Di village, shared: “The Hà Nhì people have inhabited this land across generations and have long fostered a spirit of solidarity to protect the forest while rationally utilizing the resources it provides. Guided by Party directives and State policies and laws, we coordinate regularly with forest rangers to conduct outreach, raising community awareness and engaging residents in managing and safeguarding assigned forest acreage.”

Đàm Văn Cường, Vice Chairman of the Sín Thầu commune People’s Committee, noted: “Rarely is there a place like Sín Thầu, where every citizen serves as a sturdy shield within the vast wilderness. Residents are attached to the forest as they are to their own lives, joining functional forces to protect each forest tract. Some contribute labor to patrols, others remind community members against infringing on forest resources, and all stand ready whenever the forest needs protection. This creates a solid woodland defense posture, ensuring that western border forests remain perpetually green, serving as a sustainable shield for life today and for future generations.”

Bidding farewell to Sín Thầu and the “iron rose” guarding the vast forest, visitors depart along woodland routes carrying the enduring image of Hà Nhì native Pờ Mì Nò and the lush homeland. Behind those footsteps lies profound love for the forest, stories spoken in the Hà Nhì tongue, river crossings, and community hands joined in conservation. As dusk gently settles over the western border, the journey to preserve the green expanse led by Pờ Mì Nò and the people of Sín Thầu continues, flowing as quietly as forest streams across the wilderness.

In 2025, Sín Thầu commune recorded 36,789.82ha of forested land. Currently, the entire commune counts 47 forest owners, including 26 household and individual owners, 19 village community owners, the commune People’s Committee, and the Sen Thượng Border Post. Each forest owner not only directly manages and protects assigned forest areas, but helps erect sturdy green bastions, joining hands to preserve the wilderness along the westernmost border of the Fatherland.