Bamboo shoots are synonymous with Vietnamese cuisine and are grown in many areas of the country. As well as being a popular food ingredient in Vietnam, bamboo shoots provide an important source of income  for households living in the buffer zones of protected forests in north west Vietnam, including Hoang Lien – Van Ban Nature Reserve in Lao Cai and Van Ho District in Son La Province. As bamboo grows naturally in the forest, bamboo shoot cultivation does not require a large capital investment or and constant tending by farmers. However, production is small scale and inefficient with outdated technology for semi-processing at household level. Ethnic minority women are highly active in the collection of this crop, however, as traditional production practices do not meet market requirements and there are poor linkages to processors and buyers, bamboo shoots are often sold for a low price to local traders.

Other constraints to the sector include a lack of sustainable practices and quality standards applied to the collection and cultivation of bamboo shoots and an absence of regulations at the community level for the sustainable collection of bamboo.

Bamboo shoot harvesting and semi-processing is also very labour-intensive, which places a heavy burden on women. At a household level, although it is women that are earning the income from bamboo, it is often the men that make the major financial decisions.

GREAT partners CRED and Hoang Lien Van Ban Natural Reservation Area Project Management Unit are supporting ethnic minority women in Van Ho, Son La and Van Ban, Lao Cai engaged in bamboo shoot production by establishing links with major suppliers of bamboo shoots including Kim Boi Company, Yen Thanh Company and Thuy Son Cooperative. These projects are also helping to shift communities to bamboo shoot cultivation rather than relying on forest harvesting. This includes training farmers on organic cultivation practices and building capacity of women-led cooperatives in growing organic bamboo shoots. This will not only protect the environment but also ensure a sustainable source of income going forward.

CRED through its project activities has also introduced labour-saving tools to semi-process bamboo shoots, directly addressing the time burden of women and has also organised gender equality training for men and women. Hoang Lien Natural Reservation Area Project Management Unit has had a specific focus on advocating sustainable bamboo shoot management policies. These two bamboo partnerships will benefit nearly 1,000 ethnic minority women, including women from the Dao ethnic group in Van Ban, Lao Cai and the Thai, Muong and Mong ethnic minorities groups in Van Ho, Son La. These women are expected to have increased income and improved confidence to speak up in the family, within the cooperative and society.