Each year in late July, the Xo Dang people of Tra Linh hold a special Ngoc Linh ginseng worship ceremony. The event shows how a cultural ritual can also help the community and the forest.

Village elder Nguyen Van Dung explains that the ceremony offers healthy ginseng plants, chickens, wine, betel leaves and other forest products to the mountain and forest spirits. He says the ritual is a thank‑you for the spirits protecting the community’s livelihood, and it is becoming a cultural‑tourism attraction in the highland communes.

Tra Linh authorities have given more than 17,600 ginseng seedlings to 88 poor and near‑poor households. Local leaders say that growing ginseng can give families a steady income, but only if the forests where the plants grow are protected.

During the festival, regular markets and visitors allow residents to sell ginseng and other medicinal herbs. This extra trade helps improve the economic situation of the Xo Dang people.