Vietnam Grows 5,000 Medicinal Plants Into Green Future

Vietnam shelters 15% of the world's known medicinal plants, and now scientists are helping farmers turn this natural treasure into sustainable livelihoods.

The country hosts more than 5,000 medicinal plant species, many deeply woven into traditional healthcare practices. But growing demand has pushed some species toward danger through overharvesting, while Vietnam still imports most of its medicinal materials despite this rich biodiversity.

Dr. Phan Thuy Hien from Vietnam's National Institute for Medicinal Materials is leading the change. Working with University of Queensland researchers through 2027, her team is studying five priority medicinal plant species to find better ways to grow, process, and sell them.

The shift from wild collection to cultivation is already underway, but farmers face real obstacles. Poor planting materials, declining soil fertility, pests, diseases, and increasingly unpredictable weather all threaten production. Even short droughts can devastate crops.

The research focuses particularly on ethnic minority communities in remote northwestern regions where modern healthcare remains limited. These communities have preserved generations of plant knowledge while often lacking access to agricultural support.

The Ripple Effect

The benefits reach beyond individual farms. Women play leading roles in trading and market activities throughout the medicinal plant value chain, and understanding these dynamics helps researchers design strategies that work for entire communities.

Private sector companies are already engaging with the work, eager to develop reliable supply chains for medicinal products. The Vietnamese government aims to flip the script entirely by reducing imports and expanding exports instead.

Early-career scientists are building skills through survey design, data analysis, and value chain assessment. The project also reconnects ACIAR alumni, strengthening decades-long research partnerships between Vietnam and Australia.

Dr. Jack Hetherington, ACIAR Research Program Manager for Agribusiness, sees promise in the collaboration. "Inclusive value chain partnerships can create lasting livelihood opportunities and greater choice for rural communities," he said, emphasizing the importance of supporting female leadership throughout the sector.

The research is generating practical evidence for better production systems, stronger supply chains, and smarter investment decisions. For communities that have safeguarded medicinal plant knowledge for centuries, sustainable cultivation offers a path to economic opportunity without sacrificing the wild ecosystems that make Vietnam's biodiversity so remarkable.