FOREST TALK & LINK #3: Wood in Vietnamese life - Using wood, preserving forests

Wood has long been present in the lives of Vietnamese people as part of their living space, culture, and community memory. In Hue – a city that preserves many distinctive architectural and traditional values – the story of wood is not just about the material, but also about how people live with nature and preserve local identity.

In this context, Forest Talk & Link #3 with the theme “Wood in Vietnamese Life – Using Wood, Preserving Forests” was organized to open up multi-faceted discussions on the role of wood in contemporary life, from culture, architecture to the market and the direction for developing sustainable raw materials for Vietnamese people.

The program brought together architects, business leaders, cultural experts, and policy researchers to share perspectives on wood in Hue's living spaces and culture; trends in wood use in modern architecture; domestic market demand for legal and sustainable wood products; as well as directions for developing contemporary architecture towards environmental friendliness and rich identity.

One of the prominent messages presented at the program was that wood use does not necessarily lead to deforestation if raw material sources are sustainably managed and have appropriate regeneration mechanisms. Experience from many countries shows that logging and wood use can go hand-in-hand with forest protection and development when placed within an effective and transparent governance system.

Vietnam is currently one of the world's largest exporters of wood and wood products, with an annual turnover of approximately 17 billion USD. Millions of households are involved in tree planting, and many localities have established large-scale raw material regions. However, the domestic market still shows a preference for natural wood and rare timbers, even though many types of domestically planted forest wood have achieved international certifications, participate in global supply chains, and are used to produce high-value export products.

According to experts, one of the current challenges lies in market perception of planted forest wood and engineered wood products. With the development of modern processing technology, many types of planted forest wood now meet the requirements for durability, load-bearing capacity, and structural lifespan, while also contributing to reducing pressure on natural forests.

Furthermore, engineered wood materials such as glued laminated timber (glulam) and mass timber are increasingly being widely applied worldwide due to their carbon storage capabilities, reduced emissions in construction, and creation of sustainable structures. This is seen as an an opportunity to enhance the value of domestic planted forests, expand the domestic consumption market, and promote the green transition of the forestry sector.

The speakers also emphasized that forest protection cannot rely solely on administrative measures but needs to create economic value from forests. When planted forest wood is widely accepted by the market and becomes a modern material for civil, commercial, and public works, people will have more incentive to invest in reforestation, sustainable forest management, and long-term forest resource conservation.

Through the discussions at the program, Forest Talk & Link #3 contributed to raising awareness about the role of wood in sustainable development, while affirming that the future of Vietnam's wood industry lies not only in harvest volume but also in building a responsible wood-use ecosystem where economic, cultural, and forest protection goals go hand-in-hand for a green economy and sustainable development.