Vietnam’s Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) pilot program, supported by the Asia Regional Biodiversity Conservation Program (ARBCP), improved the livelihoods of over 32,000 rural poor while promoting biodiversity conservation. The pilot policy created a legal framework for collecting and distributing part of the economic value of ecological services provided by forests, ensuring continuous forest protection and management, and improving local economies. The pilot policy also informed the design and enactment of a national PFES Decree.