Vietnamese Ethnobotany: New Understandings of Refugees, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and the Iron Triangle

Abstract

Hearing the words “refugees,” “the Ho Chi Minh Trail,” or “the Iron Triangle” in the context of Vietnam may create a miasma of images for a listener, perhaps evoking the terrible depictions of war on American television news. Rarely, however, are those phrases understood fully in relation to the history of Vietnam. This presentation about three research projects in Vietnam will create new images and a better understanding of those words – and further cultivate that understanding through an exploration of ethnobotany and conservation in that country.

The discussant, My Lien Thi Nguyen, received a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Nguyen has conducted ethnobotanical research in her hometown of Bien Hoa, Vietnam, as well as in collaboration with Vietnamese scientists in the northern, central and southern regions of Vietnam. Her presentation will introduce three of these projects and the scientists.