This article explores data gathered through an applied human ecology and ethnobotany study of selected elders from the
Vietnamese Dao, Hmong, Kinh, Ma-Lieng, Sach, Tai, Tay, and Xinh-Mun ethnic groups. The research catalogued traditional
uses and conservation practices related to biodiversity and plant use in northern and central Vietnam. The study utilized a human
ecology systems theory approach developed by the indigenous and ethnic minority peoples’ networks of the Mekong region.
Through ethnobotany feld interviews, the study gathered traditional knowledge of plants, including twenty-eight climbers,
four ferns, twenty-nine annual and two perennial herbs, twenty-four shrubs, and twenty-four trees. Plant importance was
analyzed using quantitative ethnobotany indices. Model tests of plant use and conservation support a human ecology systems
model approach and suggest that culture, customary law, spiritual practices, and ethnobotany are important contributors to
plant conservation practices.