On 16 September 2026, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences (VAFS) received and held a working session with a delegation of Cameroonian forestry officials and government representatives, together with the organization TRAFFIC, as part of a working visit to Vietnam aimed at supporting the signing and implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on legal timber trade and sustainable forestry. Dr. Tran Lam Dong, Vice Director General of VAFS, chaired the reception and working session.
The Cameroonian delegation comprised representatives of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife of Cameroon (MINFOF), including heads of units in charge of cooperation and programs, forest management, forestry control and anti-poaching, as well as legislation, standards, and forestry law enforcement. Also participating were experts from TRAFFIC responsible for global programs, forest governance and trade, the Central Africa Programme Office, and the Vietnam Programme Office.
During the working session, VAFS presented notable research and technology development results in tree breeding, silviculture and forest restoration, digital technology and forest carbon, forest product processing, and the circular economy. In particular, the two sides held in-depth discussions on wood identification and traceability — an area of special interest to the Cameroonian side. VAFS shared its experience in building databases and applying methods such as wood anatomy, DART-TOFMS, and WoodID for species identification, CITES enforcement, and verification of timber legality.
Following the discussion session, the delegation visited the wood sample specimen room and observed live demonstrations of the wood identification methods currently being applied at the Academy.
The visit and working session provided an opportunity for Vietnam and Cameroon to share experience, data, and technology in wood identification, while opening up new avenues of cooperation in expert training, specimen exchange, research, and capacity building for timber traceability control — contributing to the promotion of legal and sustainable timber trade between Vietnam and Cameroon.
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