Reviving the wasteland by Lam River into a bamboo forest costs hundreds of millions of dong each season, both protecting the land and the village.
Thanh Phuc•July 19, 2025 09:59
From the desolate alluvial plain, surrounded by floods all year round, Mr. Cao Thai Thang in Dai Dong commune (old Thanh Chuong) has revived the land along the Lam river with a sweet bamboo shoot forest of more than 5 hectares. Not only does it bring in hundreds of millions of dong each season, the model of growing bamboo shoots on alluvial sandy soil also helps to preserve the soil, prevent erosion, contribute to protecting the dykes and providing long-term production for people in the alluvial plain.
Clip: Thanh PhucFrom the alluvial land once covered with sedges and reeds, Mr. Cao Thai Thang (born in 1956) has built a cool green bamboo forest, covering more than 5 hectares along the Lam River. Photo: Thanh PhucHaving lived on the alluvial land since the 1990s, Mr. Thang was the first person in this area to boldly introduce high-yield sweet bamboo shoots to replace acacia. Photo: Thanh Phuc The plump, sweet bamboo shoots growing from the fertile alluvial soil are the result of alluvial deposits and the diligent care of the grower. Photo: Thanh PhucBamboo shoot mounds are built into high mounds to prevent flooding when floods come. This creative method helps the bamboo shoot roots not to be damaged and still grow well. Photo: Thanh PhucThe strong bamboo shoots growing from the alluvial soil are considered “brown gold”. Photo: Thanh PhucWhen harvesting, workers must use a shovel to dig deep down to get the whole root, the secret to keeping the bamboo shoots from being bitter and preserving them longer. Photo: Thanh PhucThanks to being grown on sandy soil along the river with high humidity, the bamboo shoots here are especially large, soft, and sweeter than bamboo shoots grown in the mountains. Photo: Thanh PhucOn peak days, when orders reach hundreds of tons of bamboo shoots per day, Mr. Thang has to hire more workers to keep up with the market supply. Photo: Thanh Phuc The large and healthy bamboo shoots will be kept as seeds for the next crop, helping to maintain and increase productivity in a sustainable way. Photo: Thanh PhucAfter the harvest season, Mr. Thang proactively trims old bamboo trees, both to sell as raw materials and to create space for new seedlings to grow. Photo: Thanh PhucTraders come to the fields to buy at a price of 13,000 - 20,000 VND/kg (including the shell); if the shell is peeled, the price is even higher. In each bamboo shoot season, in addition to selling commercial bamboo shoots, he also supplies about 3,000 bamboo shoot seedlings to the market. The total income that Mr. Thang's family earns from the bamboo shoot forest is about 500 million VND/year. Photo: Thanh PhucEvery day, Mr. Thang spends all his time on his bamboo shoot forest, which is now not only his livelihood, but also a “green asset” he dedicates to his homeland. Photo: Thanh Phuc
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