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Known
as a special, rare and precious fragrant wood, tram
huong exists mostly in Khanh Hoa's mountainous and
forested areas. There are two kind of tram huong;
"tram" and "ky nam". Ky nam is the more precious of
the two. Khanh Hoa is one of the most important
areas in the country for tram huong and ky nam. The
fragrant wood is taken from the heart of the Gio
Tree (or Aquilaria Agallocha Roxb). But not all the
trees contain tram huong. Only those with small,
yellow leaves and lumpy bark provide good tram huong.
To distinguish the difference between the two, the
fragrant wood is set fire. It is tram if the smoke
whirls up before dispersing, while it's a dead
certainty it's ky nam if the fire creates a long
line of smoke drifting straight. Tram huong wood is
harder, heavier, and less aromatic than ky nam.
Since the 15th and 16th
centuries, western businessmen have established
trading with this precious product in Da Nang and
Hoi An. Today, customer demand for the wood is still
popular, in fact it's developing and expanding even
more. With the aim to meet demands and preserve the
actual trees, Khanh Hoa Province now makes sure that
the trees are planted in `town, instead of
exploiting natural resources elsewhere.
(Source:
Khanh Hoa Tourism) |
