Planting seeds for the future: Challenges and solutions for Cham traditional medicine in the context of Vietnam's rapid modernization.

This article investigates the indigenous Cham community of Vietnam and their efforts to preserve traditional knowledge related to medicinal plants and their applications for health and wellness. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Cham villages, the study highlights challenges such as overharvesting, habitat loss due to urbanization, declining interest among younger generations, and social prejudices against Cham herbal vendors. It emphasizes the critical role of the Cham language in safeguarding ethnobotanical knowledge and the importance of community involvement, sustainable harvesting practices, and official recognition of traditional medicine to ensure cultural preservation and economic sustainability. The study also suggests that integrating medicinal plant conservation with community-based tourism and developing traditional craft village branding could support the Cham people’s livelihoods and heritage conservation.