Vietnamese medicinal herbs: From folk knowledge to modern value chain

Vietnam promotes the localization of medicinal plants, combining folk knowledge with modern standards to preserve genetic resources and serve community health care.

Vietnam has long been known as a country possessing rich biological resources, stretching from the highlands in the North to the plains and coastal areas in the South. In this treasure, medicinal plants occupy a special place, not only because of their health care value but also because they are closely associated with folk knowledge, passed down through many generations in ethnic communities.

Vietnam is promoting the localization of medicinal plants, combining folk knowledge with modern standards, to preserve genetic resources, develop regional economies and improve community health care.

Remedies from forest leaves, roots, tree barks, or simple combinations of medicinal herbs in daily life have created a solid foundation for traditional Vietnamese medicine. That knowledge is an invaluable asset, reflecting the skillful adaptation of humans to nature and is also the source for the development steps of the current medicinal industry.

However, from that treasure trove of valuable knowledge to the formation of a modern economic sector is a long way. For many years, medicinal plants were mainly exploited spontaneously, produced on a small scale and scattered. Many localities grew medicinal plants but there was no regional connection, did not comply with international standards, leading to uneven quality and low economic value. Most of the new products stopped at the form of raw materials, sold to the market at cheap prices and heavily dependent on intermediaries. Therefore, the great potential of Vietnamese medicinal plants has not been exploited to its full extent, despite increasing domestic and international demand.

Realizing that problem, in the period of 2024-2025, the State has issued many policies to plan and develop key medicinal areas. Eight specific ecological regions have been identified, in which the Northern mountainous region has emerged as an important center for supplying medicinal materials. This is a strategic step, both to preserve rare genetic resources and to orient the development of medicinal plants into an economic resource associated with sustainable livelihoods of the people.

Lao Cai is a typical example. By including plants such as artichoke, tea, and Gynostemma pentaphyllum in the GACP-WHO standard growing area planning, the province has turned folk knowledge into economic advantages. Not only stopping at planting and harvesting, Lao Cai also develops OCOP products with local brands, creating jobs and stable income for people, especially ethnic minorities.

The success here proves that when folk knowledge is combined with modern science and technology, when cooperative models and businesses participate deeply in the production - consumption chain, medicinal plants can completely escape the status of 'raw goods' to become products with added value, competitive enough in the large market.

The key point of this process is the modern value chain. Instead of just exploiting or cultivating in a fragmented manner, the development of medicinal herbs today is moving towards a closed process: selecting varieties - cultivating - harvesting - preliminary processing - deep processing - commercialization. The biggest benefit is to ensure a stable source of raw materials for traditional medicine and essential medicines of herbal origin.

At the same time, people have the opportunity to take care of their health with familiar plants, low cost but high efficiency. However, to achieve that, growing areas must strictly comply with GACP-WHO standards on good practice in growing and harvesting medicinal herbs. This is a big challenge, because most households are still familiar with traditional farming practices, which are difficult to change in a short time.

In addition to technology, another equally serious challenge is the loss of indigenous knowledge. As young people leave the countryside to seek other jobs, valuable experiences in recognizing, using and preserving medicinal herbs are at risk of being lost. Recording, researching and protecting community knowledge becomes an urgent task, not only to preserve culture but also to ensure a source of scientific data for long-term development.

In addition, the role of enterprises is also increasingly important. Without the stages of consumption, technical support, regional branding and investment in deep processing, medicinal plants will find it difficult to reach large markets. Cooperation projects between enterprises, development funds and cooperatives have proven effective, creating products that both meet quality standards and affirm their position in the market.

According to 2024 data, some medicinal herbs such as cinnamon and star anise have contributed significantly to export turnover. However, the weakness is still repeated: exports are mainly in raw form, with low added value, depending on traders and intermediary markets. To change the situation, Vietnam needs to focus on developing the domestic processing industry, building a complete value chain, closely linking growing areas and processing factories, thereby both increasing farmers' income and bringing the Vietnamese medicinal herb brand to the international market with an equal position.

It can be seen that the story of Vietnamese medicinal herbs is no longer limited to preserving a part of traditional culture. It is a journey to bring folk knowledge into modern life by building a professional value chain. When the State has supportive policies, when the community and businesses participate together, indigenous medicinal plants will not only be a source of medical materials, but also a dual driving force: preserving culture and developing a sustainable economy.

The journey to bring Vietnamese medicinal herbs from folk knowledge to modern value chains is still fraught with difficulties. However, with the planning of the State, the participation of businesses and the community, indigenous medicinal plants have the opportunity to become a strategic industry: preserving culture, increasing income, and affirming the Vietnamese brand in the international market.

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Source: https://baolaocai.vn/duoc-lieu-viet-nam-tu-tri-thuc-dan-gian-den-chuoi-gia-tri-hien-dai-post882517.html