On September 13 and 14, 2010, Prosperity Initiative’s Mekong Bamboo program jointly collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as well as the Center for Agriculture Policy (CAP) to organize a workshop in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Bamboo enterprises were invited to attend this roundtable discussion, along with businesses interested in the future of bamboo in Vietnam, to discuss the bamboo opportunity in the country. The workshop also aimed to obtain input into the development of a new Bamboo Master Plan and Bamboo policy decisions that MARD are currently creating. Through these discussions, the MARD hoped to increase awareness of the new opportunities arising in bamboo and to hear the ideas and concerns related to building a sustainable business plan in this growing sector.