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Vo Kieu Bao Uyen is a Vietnamese journalist with seven years of experience, covering the environment, migration, and labor, with a focus on Vietnam and Laos. Her investigations delve into the overlooked environmental and human toll of national economic strategies. She has participated in several special projects by the Earth Journalism Network and was a fellow of the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network in 2023 and 2024.

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Email: baouyenvokieu@gmail.com

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Mounting economic pressures are pushing Laos to overlook environmental consequences to lure foreign investment. This has enabled Chinese and Vietnamese companies to expand banana and durian plantations for China’s surging demand, fueling deforestation and soil degradation.

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    • Part 1: Fruits of spoil: Laos’ forests disappearing as fruit farms flourish
    • Part 2: Banana Boom, Soil Bust

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The series was published in Mekong Eye with support from the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) and Internews’ Earth Journalism Network, as part of the “Ground Truths” collaborative reporting project on soils.

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Overcoming challenges through collaboration

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Public data scarcity

Limited test lab capacity

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Language barriers

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Public data scarcity

Desk research

    • Media reports in Vietnam, Laos, and China, mostly from state media
    • Global Forest Watch
    • Social media: Douyin and Facebook
    • Satellite imagery: Google Earth Pro and Planet Labs
    • Corporate records: company websites, project profiles, recruitment information, etc.
    • Corporate databases: Tianyancha (paid Chinese platform for company data) and Sayari (supply chain intelligence platform)
    • Academic studies and institutional reports

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Fieldwork

    • Official and unofficial interviews with multiple sources
    • On the-ground-reporting in Laos

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Language barriers

    • Drivers
    • Interpreter
    • Local sources

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Limited test lab capacity

    • A commercial lab in Laos
    • Soil scientists and ecologists from Singapore-based organization Living Soil Asia, as well as two U.S. universities: University of Florida and Indiana University
    • Local farmers' firsthand experiences

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local communities

scientists and experts

journalists

technology and data platform providers

Collective efforts from: