Recently, people have started growing wild vegetables in mainland Southeast Asia
despite the abundance of domesticated ones. In this study, we analyzed the drivers for this trend by
targeting wild paddy feld plants in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Surveys were conducted
on the use, domestication status, and market status of plants, and cultivation skill of the growers
in Vientiane Municipality/Province and Houaphan Province, by targeting 171 market vendors and
54 growers, in 2013–2019 and 2022. A total of 31 paddy feld plants were used as vegetables, of
which 7 were grown. Centella asiatica, Limnophila chinensis, Limnophila geofrayi, and Houttuynia
cordata have been grown since the 2000s for selling at local markets, and because of demand for safe
and healthy vegetables, time saved in traveling to harvesting sites, or ease of cultivation. The pos‐
sible drivers for growing them were the preference for wild foods in Lao dietary culture, emerging
concerns about agricultural chemical use on commercially produced vegetables, increased trade of
wild plants at local markets, the ease with which these plants can be vegetatively propagated, and
their resistance to pests and diseases. The results of this study have implications for food security,
plant conservation, and domestication research.