There are many large wooden houses in Gia Lai province

Despite the PM’s command on forest closure, deforestation continues apace. 

The border Ia Grai district in Gia Lai province is an area where there are still large natural forests. This been a "hot spot" of illegal logging. 

In January, the police discovered over 10.7 cubic meters of illegally logged timber on the Se San 3A reservoir bed in Ia Khai commune. The timber was fished out of the reservoir, but it is still unclear about the owners of the timber and the sources.

Ia Grai is also the ‘hub’ of timber trade, which not only attracts locals, but traders from everywhere. 

There are many imposing houses made of precious wood in this forested area. The road section from the Ia Grai district’s center to Ia O commune is 50 kilometers long only, but there are many wooden houses. 

Of these, the house of one person in Ia To commune is compared to a palace. The gate is made of large wooden trunks, and the doors are made of precious wood with delicate patterns.

In Ia Krai, two new wooden houses have just been completed. Their owners are KD and PT. However, locals said the two houses cannot be compared with the house that QC is building. 

On the construction site, tens of carpenters were seen working on large timber plates to create the frame for a house.

Reporters found that the owners of the houses in the area are all veteran timber traders who have got rich from the trade

State officials also own houses made of precious wood worth billions of dong.

In Ia Rsai commune, the house of HMP, a local official, stands out from the hundreds of underslung houses of local residents. Decorations are made of precious logs with sophisticated carvings. 

P said that he had to hire experienced workers from Phu Yen to build the house for whom he had to pay VND2.2 billion. He said he has been collecting timber for many years from locals.

The wooden house of Nguyen Dinh Thuan, Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of Ia Rsai commune, is not far from P’s house.

However, Thuan’s and P’s houses are less famous than the 2-storey wooden house of HXM, a local official of Uar commune in Krong Pa district. The house has been famous since 2015, when its image was posted on social media.

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Kim Chi