Summary
Đà Lạt is located in Vietnam's Central Highlands and the region represents a complex interplay of political and economic dynamics affecting people's livelihoods and forest and biodiversity management. Vietnam is the world's second largest exporter of coffee (after Brazil) and this region is a major coffee-growing region. The expansion of coffee plantations has resulted in significant deforestation and has also negatively impacted the land use rights of ethnic minority peoples in the area who lose out to Kinh (ethnic Vietnamese) economic and political power, which dominates coffee expansion. At the same time, coffee represents a potential road out of poverty for many living in the area. On this trip, we visited a coffee farm and beekeeping operation owned by a French farmer who is trying to work closely with ethnic minority peoples to enhance their economic opportunities. We also visited Bidoup Núi Bà national park, a protected forest area, and learned about their efforts to encourage community-based forest management with local ethnic minority groups. Students posted their thoughts on what they experienced.