Awakening Quang Ngai's ‘gold mine’ of medicinal plants

From natural advantages to sustainable livelihoods

Following the administrative merger, Quang Ngai has become one of the localities with the richest medicinal plant resources in Vietnam. In the majestic Truong Son mountains, where swaths of primary forest remain protected, hundreds of valuable medicinal plants thrive, creating a rare opportunity to develop forest-based livelihoods.

Statistics show that the province is currently home to 853 species of medicinal plants and fungi. Many of them have high medicinal and economic value, including Ngoc Linh ginseng, codonopsis, dang gui (angelica sinensis), five flavor fruit (Schisandra chinensis), and cinnamon. In recent years, Quang Ngai has gradually established concentrated production areas, covering nearly 9,800 hectares of medicinal plants. This lays the foundation to develop the sector on a larger scale.

The most prominent is Ngoc Linh ginseng, a medicinal plant endemic to Vietnam that is often described as a “national treasure.” In Mang Ri, Ngoc Linh, Xop and Tu Mo Rong communes, ginseng cultivation is opening a path out of poverty for many ethnic minority households.

The family of A Son in Mang Ri commune is a prime example. The family's main sources of income used to be cassava and rice, and life was difficult. After switching to cultivating Ngoc Linh ginseng, the family's finances gradually improved.

Cinnamon is also becoming a source of prosperity for many households in the Tra Bong area. Thousands of tons of cinnamon bark are harvested every year, most of which is exported, helping increase incomes for the Cor ethnic community. According to Do Khac Phi, Vice Chairman of the Tra Bong Commune People's Committee, the locality has identified cinnamon as a key crop for near-term economic development.

Completing the value chain to help medicinal plants “take off”

Despite its many advantages, Quang Ngai's medicinal plant industry remains below its potential. Most products are still sold as raw materials since production is fragmented and small-scale, while processing technology is underdeveloped. Trade promotion and brand building have yet to meet market demands. These are also major concerns for businesses investing in the sector.

Nguyen Thi Duyen, Director of Sam Ngoc Linh Tu Mo Rong Kon Tum Joint Stock Company, said the biggest challenge at present is the market. “Consumers have only started becoming familiar with products made from Ngoc Linh ginseng in recent years. Therefore, we need greater support from local authorities for trade promotion by organizing fairs and seminars so businesses can gain access to broader markets,” he said.

Recognizing these bottlenecks, the Quang Ngai People's Committee has recently issued a plan to implement Resolution No. 05-NQ/TU on medicinal plant development through 2030, with a vision to 2035. The goal is for the province to become a key national medicinal plant production area and a major hub by 2035.

Under the plan, Quang Ngai has deemed medicinal plant development a key priority. The ultimate goal is to effectively utilize its land, climate and forest ecosystems, create sustainable livelihoods and increase incomes, particularly for people in mountainous areas and ethnic minority communities.

By 2030, the province aims to establish concentrated medicinal plant production areas, including 5,227 hectares of forest planted with Ngoc Linh ginseng, with around 2,000 hectares newly planted, equivalent to 20 million plants. The plan also calls for 900 hectares of codonopsis, 600 hectares of cinnamon, 300 hectares of Ly Son garlic and approximately 1,000 hectares of other year-round medicinal plants.

Quang Ngai also aims to build a high-tech medicinal plant propagation center and ensure that 100% of planting material is controlled; develop more than 55 cooperatives involved in investing in, cultivating, processing and distributing medicinal plant products; and sustainably produce approximately 33,000 tons of medicinal plants annually, including 32,000 tons from cultivated areas and 1,000 tons from natural sources.

Another notable target is to attract at least one large-scale business to invest in medicinal plant production and processing under GMP standards, thereby establishing a medicinal plant processing industrial cluster.

Medicinal plant production is expected to account for approximately 5% of the province's agricultural production value and 2% of its GRDP by 2030. At the same time, Ngoc Linh ginseng is expected to become a national brand and remain on the Vietnam National Brand list.

To achieve these goals, the province will implement a range of measures, including planning cultivation areas, prioritizing investment in concentrated raw material zones, conserving and developing valuable medicinal plant genetic resources, and closely managing medicinal plant development projects linked to forest protection and forest-based economic development.

The province will also encourage residents to rehabilitate mixed gardens and convert areas planted with low-value crops to high-value medicinal plants, while developing value chains linking production, processing and product distribution.

Quang Ngai will accelerate the application of science and technology and digital transformation in medicinal plant development. A variety of solutions will be deployed, such as IoT-based monitoring of cultivation areas, AI and big data for forecasting plant growth, digital mapping of raw material zones, QR-code traceability and blockchain. This province strives to improve quality, enhance value-chain transparency and strengthen the competitiveness of medicinal plant products in both domestic and international markets.