Exploring Vietnam’s 120-year-old rubber tree garden planted by French

This is the oldest remaining rubber plantation in the Southeast Asian country.

During the season when rubber trees shed their leaves, a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporter visited the century-old rubber tree conservation garden of Vietnam’s rubber sector in Dau Giay Commune to witness the tangible traces of the past that still endure.

Many visitors shared that walking through the preserved garden of ancient rubber trees offers a deep sense of the industry’s development today.

Nguyen Ngoc Dan, deputy head of An Loc Team under Dong Nai Rubber Corporation, said that the 120-year-old rubber tree garden, once called by the French the Suzannah plantation, is still preserved in Dau Giay Commune.

The garden covers an area of about eight hectares, with 224 surviving ancient rubber trees.

Planted by the French in 1906, the garden remains the only intact cluster of century-old rubber trees in Vietnam.

Dan said the conservation of this site aims to preserve historical evidence of the first area where the French established rubber plantations, while also serving research purposes and welcoming visitors interested in its historical value.

Over the years, the site has received numerous international delegations, including French tourists and experts.

Pham Van Hoang, vice-chairman of the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association, noted that archival records show that in the early 20th century, French capitalists set foot in the southeastern region, including Dong Nai Province, to exploit forest resources and establish rubber plantations.

As a result, for more than a century, some areas in the province have not only preserved ancient rubber gardens but also retained traces of French-style architectural works.

These include Suoi Tre Hill, now the Suoi Tre Cultural Area, SIPH Hill, the 32-roof church, and Ecole Elementary School.

The rubber tree garden has been mentioned by many generations and has become a historical and ecological rubber garden, Hoang said.

In 2009, the Dong Nai People’s Committee officially recognized the ancient rubber tree garden as a provincial-level historical relic site.

“The garden is being preserved to educate workers in the rubber industry about tradition, serve research activities, and meet the needs of sightseeing, field studies, and outdoor learning for workers, local residents, students, and visitors from across the country,” Hoang said.