Hoa Binh province is one of the best places for orchids in Vietnam. The climate and environment of Hoa Binh province are favorable for the development of orchids, especially rare indigenous ones. Dendrobium anosmum Lindl., which stands out because of the unique fragrance and colors, is one of the most popular varieties in Hoa Binh province. To meet the increasing demands of the industrial market as well as to contribute to the preservation and development of genetic resources of Dendrobium sp. in Hoa Binh province, propagating D. anosmum Lindl. is a crucial step. Plant tissue culture, which has been applied to improve reproducibility of orchids for many years, is still an effective method, especially for large-scale propagation. Studies on in vitro propagation of D. anosmum Lindl. from Hoa Binh province showed that growth regulators (BA, kinetin, α-NAA) did not have a significant effect on protocorm initiation because D. anosmum Lind. from Hoa Binh province already has a high rate of regeneration. However, MS medium + 1.0 mg/L kinetin + 0.5 mg/L α-NAA + 30 g sucrose + 8.0 g agar per liter, pH 5.7–5.8 was the optimal medium to increase shoot length. The MS medium + 1.0 g activated charcoal + 30 g sucrose + 8.0 g agar per liter, pH 5.7–5.8 was the most suitable medium for shoot growth—after 6 weeks of culture, the average shoot length was 1.09 cm, the average number of leaves was 6.13, the average number of roots was 3.17, and the average root length was 1.11 cm—about 3.3, 4.17, 3.41, and 1.67 times higher, respectively, than in the control (without activated charcoal).

Cardamom (Amomum tsao-ko Crevost & Lemarié) belongs to the genus Amomum Roxb. (Family: Zingiberaceae), is widely used as a flavoring and spicy ingredient in many traditional Vietnamese dishes; furthermore, it is also used in many traditional Vietnamese remedies to treat digestive ailments, malaria, bad breath, tooth decay, etc. Due to the presence of hard seed coat, cardamom has low seed germination potential. Therefore the aims of the present investigation were undertaken to study the effect of different sterilization agents, mechanical scarification, and various culture media on germination parameters of cardamom seeds. From there, an efficient in vitro cardamom seed germination protocol allows for a high germination rate and provides efficient production of high-quality sterile seedlings was described. Intact seeds were removed from aril and were soaked in warm water for 8 hours before sterilization; in the next step, they were disinfected in 0.1% mercuric chloride for 10 minutes and rinsed 4-5 times with sterile distilled water; then, they were scarified manually by cutting 1-1.5 mm of the seed coat at the opposite site of hilum by a sterile scalpel; lastly, they were inoculated onto MS medium diluted to 1/16 concentration at 25±2°C under a 16 h-photoperiod in cool white fluorescent light (2000-2500 lux). With this procedure, on average more than 33.33% of the seeds germinated after 90 days of culture, germination mean time (GMT) is 43.98 days, and germination rate index (GRI) is 0.1917.

Cardamom (Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarié) is a valuable medicinal herb in both traditional and western medicine. The pharmacological properties of the A. tsaoko seeds make it a useful cure for such ailments as abdominal pain, bloating, hiccups, vomiting, diarrhea, malaria, bad breath, and tooth decay. It has even further value for its use in food processing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop protocols that reduce the time required for the multiplication of cardamom using tissue culture techniques. The research was conducted to initially build up the process of in vitro propagation of cardamom from the rhizome buds. An 8 minutes treatment of HgCl2, with a concentration of 0.1%, is the most efficient for the disinfection of the rhizome buds, resulting in the rate of the disease-free survival explants reaching 18.29%. MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l BAP is the most suitable medium in the fast multiplication phase, with a multiplier of 4.54 shoots/explant, average shoot height of 5.45 cm, and good shoot quality after 6 weeks of culture. A suitable rooting medium for cardamom invitro-shoots was MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l IBA with a rooting rate of 100%, the average number of roots was 5.6 roots/shoot and the average root length was achieved 6.2 cm, after 8 weeks of culture.