VIETBIO [Innovative approaches to biodiversity discovery and characterisation in Vietnam] is a bilateral German-Vietnamese research and capacity building project focusing on the development and transfer of new methods and technology towards an integrated biodiversity discovery and monitoring system for Vietnam. Dedicated field training and testing of innovative methodologies were undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park as part and with support of the project, which led to the new biodiversity data and records made available in this article collection. VIETBIO is a collaboration between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN), the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin (BGBM) and the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (VNMN), the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE), as well as the Institute of Tropical Biology (ITB); all Vietnamese institutions belong to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). The article collection "VIETBIO" (https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.coll.63) reports original results of recent biodiversity recording and survey work undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park, northern Vietnam, under the framework of the VIETBIO project. The collection consist of this “main” cover paper – characterising the study area, the general project approaches and activities, while also giving an extensive overview on previous studies from this area – followed by individual papers for higher taxa as studied during the project. The main purpose is to make primary biodiversity records openly available, including several new and interesting findings for this biodiversity-rich conservation area. All individual data papers with their respective primary records are expected to provide useful baselines for further taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecological and conservation-related studies on the respective taxa and, thus, will be maintained as separate datasets, including separate GUIDs also for further updating.

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Pelatantheria woonchengii is a new record for the orchid flora of Vietnam. This species was previously misidentified as Pelatantheria ctenoglossum Ridl., as both species are present in Vietnam. The illustration, description, distribution and comparison with the closest species in Vietnam are included An updated identification key for all Vietnamese members of the genus Pelatantheria is presented.

Bulbophyllum leysianum (sect. Hyalosema) and B. ovalifolium (sect. Macrocaulia) are recorded as new for the flora of Vietnam. Both species originate from the Hon Ba Nature Reserve (Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam). The first was found as an epiphyte on fallen branch in riparian lowland forest, while the second was recorded on small branches in a canopy tree at about 1500 m a.s.l. Key Words: Bulbophyllum sections, Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae, Vietnam

Bulbophyllum hainanense is an addition to the Flora of Vietnam. Previously, Vietnamese material of this species was listed as Bulbophyllum hymenanthum, a similar-looking species. This paper provides a description and illustration of the Vietnamese material of B. hainanense.  Key words: Bulbophyllum hainanense, Hon Ba nature reserve, new record, Vietnam