Phu An bamboo village - the world’s famous botanical garden

Since olden days, the bamboo has been the image of the people and country of vietnam, on very close terms with the life of vietnamese people including every day’s tools and farming instruments, musical instruments and even weapons to protect the village.

AT PHU AN BAMBOO VILLAGE, THE VALUE OF THE BAMBOO ISN’T ONLY THAT MUCH…

Situated in Phu An Village, Ben Cat town, Binh Duong province, around 42 km from Ho Chi Minh City, The Bamboo Ecological Reservation and Botanical Reservation of Phu An (also called Phu Am Bamboo Village) is not only an interesting address for ecological - cultural tourism, but also an address worth studying for research about different species of bamboos - as it has a Bamboo collection recognized as the largest in South-East Asia.

Just last May 14, 2016, Phu An Bamboo Village took the pride of Vietnamese people when it was recognized as a member of the Association Botanic Gardens of France and Francophone Countries (JBF); Speaking of Phu An Bamboo Village, no one can help mentioning Ms. Diep Thi My Hanh, Ph.D. - founder of the Bamboo Village, who launched the idea “Turning the iron triangle to the green triangle”, bringing scienfific advancements of a bamboo village into reality since 1999.

Throughout the 17 years’ activity and development, Phu An Bamboo villge has undergone lots of adversities, seemingly unsurmountable many times due to financial issues, management and the requirement of expertise in plant reservations…

However, her commitment, her love for the bamboo and the people living in her homeland, Dr. My Hanh started her project thanks to the assistance of the poverty reduction programme based on reservation of natural resources by Helvetas in 1999, then another project of “Reservation of Bamboo Ecological and Phu An Plant Reservation”, a four-side cooperation (from 2003 - 2008) by Binh Duong Province, and Rhône - Alpes (France), the Natural gardens of Pilat (France) and the Natural Sciences University (under HCMC National University); in April, 2008, the project was founded and divided into 2 centers, working with independence on each other.

Phu An Bamboo Village contines working in the official name of Natural Reservation and Research Center, under management of Natural Sciences University, HCMC National University, working as an independent entity pursuant to Decree 115.

DR. MY HANH HAS DEVELOPED PHU AN BAMBOO VILLAGE WITH 3 KEY MISSIONS:

- Basic scientific research on Collection and Reservation of Bamboo, applied research to create environmentally suitable products from the bamboo and enhancement of Vietnamese bamboo value as facing weather change - as the bamboo grows fast, having great living mass therefore its carbon fixation ability is very high.

- Training, guiding student’s apprenticeship at home and abroad about reservation of biodiversity and environmental protection at levels of bachelor, master, or doctorate.

- Living education via GREEN CLASS course syllabus. This also offers the community with visits to communicate the benefits of natural reservation and environmental protection.

Phu An Bamboo Village concentrates on and reserves over 1,500 bamboo clusters of 17 species, with over 300 samples of bamboo, truc (banbuseae), and nua (schizostachyum aciculare), collected from all corners of the South and North, amounting nearly 90% of baboo species in Vietnam. Particularly, after the research period, An Phu Bamboo Village suggested the change the name of the Bamboo, called commonly Tre Tàu (Chinese Bamboo) to Vietnam South Bamboo (Gigantochloa cochinchinensis), suited to the scientific name identified by E.G. Camus since the early years of 1890 (the origin of this baboo was from Gia Đinh).

Besides, there is an area for college students and researchers to study about bamboo, growing techniques,
propagation techniques via pictures and documentary films… The bamboo collections are organized in separate sections, with detailed instructions such as local name, scientific name, the coordinates where it was found, time, name of the collector and a scientific board describing it in three languages of Vietnamese, French, English.

Visiting Phu An Bamboo Village, tourists will have the excitement when going into the bamboo maze with many types of strange, rare and precious bamboo, or when walking on the shady village path leading to Rach Chua cannal twisting peacefully before they take a rest besides the pebbles, listening to bird twittering…

Besides, Phu An Bamboo Village is also interested in local people’s life, from holding seminars to help them with the awareness of wastes and why the environment needs protecting… to teaching them how to improve  environmental condition and land for vegetating, how to do ecological tourism, entertain tourists with local products and even teaching French free of charge to kids from reality environment. Phu An Bamboo village has formed safe vegetables models to have clean foods from simple materials and researching to grow mushrooms from hyacinth, to have both food and resolve the problem of hyacinth overgrowing in rivers. The close coordination with local authorities has created in most local people awareness of ecological protection, which is protection of their life and happiness. On September 21, 2010, Phu An Bamboo Village became an international village when it got UNDP Prix Équateur on protection of biodiversity and sustainable development for the community, being one of the world’s 21 villages that get the prize. 

Dr. My Hanh is currently imbued with 2 expectations, though small but promising of bringing big results to everyone. That is to develop the movement of growing ornamental bamboos in every family in HCMC. A
bamboo ornamental cluster in a vase in the house corner or at the corridor upstairs absorbs 3kg CO2. That
means if a million homes have a million bamoo clusters, 3,000,000kg CO2 can be reduced for living environment, releasing 18,000 tons Oxygen for us and people around us.

Second, the recommendation of the Green Class at the Bamboo Village via the programme “LOVE NATURE & LEARNING FOR LIFE - NALI aiming at helping students enhance their observation ability, and love for nature and patriotism via the homeland bamboo image.

It’s not easy to build up an international level botanical garden, and it’s even more difficult to reserve
and develop it. However, the way Dr. My Hanh talks passionately about each bamboo in the village proves her passion for Phu An Bamboo Village is still as intact as initially - the journey ahead still renders her lots of adversities, challenging her love and devotion for land, people and the bamboo of Vietnam.

ABOUT DR. DIEP THI MY HANH: - Doctorate in Environmental Techniques of University Paris 12 Val de Marne (France) with honors. - Order of Academic Palms, the national order of France, for educational cause and protection of biodiversity (2009). - Prix Équateur 2010/UNDP - HCMC’s National University’s title of excellent teacher and researcher (2010). - Head of Resarch topics about bamboo, weather change of HCMC National University, SEP programme “Indochina Bamboos” with IRD (France) and bilateral cooperation with Savoie University, with excellent results.

By : Truc Thuy

Saigon New Day - Thanh Nien Publishing House

Từ khóa : Làng tre Phú An,Tiến sĩ Diệp Thị Mỹ Hạnh