A 13-root banyan in Trai 1 village, Ngo Quyen district, the northern port city of Hai Phong, has been recognised as a national heritage tree.
On February 9, the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment held a ceremony to hand over a certificate to Ngo Quyen district’s authorities.
The tree has the largest number of roots ever recorded in a banyan nationwide. There is a shrine beside the tree to worship Tho Vuong, who helped found and defend the village.
The Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment launched a campaign to conserve Vietnam Heritage Trees in 2011.
To be recognized as heritage trees, the trees must be at least 200 years old in the case of wild trees, and at least 100 years for those planted. Moreover, the trees should be connected with historical and cultural features of the area where they grow.