It all about the bamboo at new reserve

It all about the bamboo at new reserve

A bamboo museum and reserve was inaugurated on Monday in the southern province of Binh Duong as a result of co-operation between Vietnamese and French scientists.

Vo Thanh Giau, director of the museum, said the reserve, which houses more than 300 varieties of bamboo from across the country, is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Located in Phu An Commune in Ben Cat District, the bamboo museum was created with input from scientists from Rhone Alpes, the Pilat Natural Park in France, Binh Duong Province and the HCM City Natural Sciences University.

The conservation project, named Phu An Bamboo Village, has a total investment of VND11 billion (US$687,500).

It includes an open-air bamboo reserve that features a countryside garden, village lanes and an indoor museum with architectural models, furniture made of bamboo, a laboratory and a theatre made out of bamboo for students and researchers.

The project promotes the biodiversity of bamboo and other endangered varieties of trees in southeastern Viet Nam, said Diep Thi My Hanh, a professor at the HCM City Natural Sciences University who is head of the bamboo and flora preservation project.