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LooseChange said..
It sure doesn't look like Teak, even though Vietnam has thousands of hectares of Teak plantations. Judging by all the small pieces that it's made from, if it is Teak then it's the possibly from the smaller trees that they thin out if they don't look like they are going to be a quality tree.
"smaller trees that they thin out if they don't look like they are going to be a quality tree" assuming sustainable forestry practices, which basically don't exist for teak. Vietnam has no FSC or similar certified teak as far as I can see. Correct me if I'm wrong. I believe teak furniture produced in Vietnam is made from Africa, Laos, Cambodia and Burma - all poor sources for anyone who has not yet completely failed to give a damn. Indonesia apparently has some decent sustainably logged plantations; but it also has illegal logging and government corruption so you'd have to do your homework.
Why do I care? Besides logic and basic knowledge of biology and ecology, I travelled up the the Rajang River in Borneo a few years back. This once magnificent river is lined with Chinese logging companies who (temporarily) employ locals to clear fell the forests they grew up being sustained by. The river runs brown with eroded soil. An elderly man I spoke to upriver said he used to be able to see the fish at the bottom. A mate and I took a translater and stayed with a Penan tribe beyond where we were legally allowed to go, one of the very few who had refused to be relocated to a new tribal suburban slum which we later visited. The Penan were nearly starving amidst a forest logged once legally (though unsustainably), and again illegally. We brought them some food, went fishing with them, ate and shared songs with the children. It broke my f8cking heart.
So I try to buy sustainable timber, avoid palm oil (very difficult), and think about the source of products generally. It's difficult and often impossible to get right and sometimes I just forget. I think teak is particularly problematic. Spoke to the guy at Anagote Timbers once about it and he reckons all teak is basically illegal or else way too expensive for most boat owners.
Apologies for the downer about your timber, HG. I'll go take my medication now. Normal programming will now resume.