In the early 1990s, the Government of Vietnam (GoV) conceived Forest Land Allocation (FLA) in parallel with land allocation schemes in agriculture as a mechanism to transfer forest management to local communities. FLA is the major vehicle for devolution of forest management in Vietnam. This section reviews the policy framework and implementation of FLA to date, outlining initial successes and limitations over time and exploring why FLA was beneficial in the midlands but not in the uplands. It identifies four critical factors underpinning FLA success in the midlands, particularly the rapid expansion of tree plantations, and then contrasts these factors against the conditions characterizing much of the uplands.