Preserving medicinal plants at the "gateway to heaven"

Amidst the special-use forests on the "gateway to heaven" in the highlands of An Toan commune (An Lao district, Binh Dinh province), a vast forest of medicinal plants has emerged, opening up new business opportunities for the ethnic minority people in this highland commune… The An Toan medicinal plant forest emerges from its winter slumber, bursting forth with a vibrant green that blends into the lush green of the vast primeval forests. To conquer the traditional medicine market, Binh Dinh Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Company (Bidiphar) has established its own medicinal herb cultivation area at An Toan "Heaven's Gate" with an area of ​​over 75 hectares to avoid dependence on naturally harvested or imported raw materials. Vietnam.vn would like to introduce to you the photo series "Preserving Medicinal Herbs at the 'Heaven's Gate'" by author Nguyen Phan Dung Nhan. The photo series was submitted by the author to the "Happy Vietnam" Photo and Video Contest, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

With ever-increasing demand, medicinal plants not only serve the pharmaceutical industry but also provide income, create livelihoods, and enrich people's lives.

The spring sunshine pierces through the thick fog that blankets the vast forest, awakening the gardens of purple ginseng, red Polygonum multiflorum, and Codonopsis pilosula... planted under the canopy of the special-use forest located at an altitude of nearly 1,000 meters above sea level in An Toan commune (An Lao district, Binh Dinh province). To meet the growing demand for clean, locally sourced medicinal herbs in the community, Bidiphar Pharmaceutical Company of Binh Dinh has invested in a project to cultivate clean medicinal herbs according to the Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) standards of the World Health Organization. The project covers an area of ​​over 75 hectares in An Toan commune, An Lao district, a location considered the "gateway to heaven" in Binh Dinh province. This area also serves as a repository and development center for the genetic resources of various natural medicinal herbs; providing high-quality, high-yield medicinal plant varieties to meet the needs of medicinal herb production according to GACP-WHO principles. In 2024, the "Happy Vietnam" photo and video contest will continue to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website https://happy.vietnam.vn, open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and above. The competition aims to honor individuals and groups with positive informational products that make practical contributions to promoting a positive image of Vietnam to the world. Through this, it helps people at home, overseas Vietnamese, and international friends access authentic images of Vietnam, its people, its achievements in ensuring human rights, and working towards a happy Vietnam. Each competition category (photos and videos) has the following prizes and prize values: – 1 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND – 2 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND – 3 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND – 10 Consolation Prizes: 5,000,000 VND – 1 Most Voted entry: 5,000,000 VND. Winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the Award Ceremony and Certificate Presentation, broadcast live on Vietnam Television.

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