The 2nd Da River Fish and Shrimp Festival took place in the northern province of Hoa Binh from November 19-23. Present at the opening ceremony of the festival were Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Phi Long, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Quoc Tri, Chairman of the provincial People's Council Bui Duc Hinh, and Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Bui Van Khanh, among others.
Delegates to the opening of the 2nd
Da River Fish and Shrimp Festival 2024.
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dinh
Cong Su emphasised that the festival aims to promote aquaculture and products
of Da River, especially its fish and shrimp.
The festival also introduces strengths, landscape, and
traditional cultural identity of Hoa Binh province in general, the Da River
basin area in particular, contributing to stimulating local tourism
development, he added.
Hoa Binh Lake is now the largest man-made resevoir in Southeast
Asia. Localities in the province have been promoting the development of cage
fish farming in the area, Now, the province has 2,695 ha of fish farming, with
nearly 5,000 cages and output of about 12,500 tonnes.
Da River fish and shrimp are famous across the country, creating
a great source of income for both local residents and enterprises.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dinh Cong Su speaks at the opening ceremony of the festival.
The Hoa Binh Lake Tourism Area is one of 12 national tourist
areas approved by the Prime Minister, with such advantages as the rich culture
of ethnic groups, particular the Muong people, diverse cuisine, various local
products, along with resorts and tourist attractions. Hoa Binh province has
optimised its potential, increased income for locals, and created a stable and
sustainable source of revenue for the local economy.
The festival featured nearly 130 booths from localities and
departments, showcasing the province's signature products. Within its
framework, there were activities like a fishing competition and fish releases
to restore aquatic resources in Hoa Binh Lake.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.
In 2019, the "One Commune, One Product" (OCOP) programme took root in Yen Thuy district. At the time, local products lacked branding, packaging, and labels, mostly sold in raw form through small-scale distribution. However, amid these challenges was a crucial advantage: farmers' willingness to change, experiment with standardised processes, and learn to package and price products based on value, not just weight.
Once barely visible on the northern region’s tourism map, Hoa Binh province welcomed 4.3 million visitors last year, generating a tourism revenue of nearly 4.74 trillion VND (USD), according for 31% of its GDRP. Beyond mere statistics, the milestone demonstrates that tourism and services have become new growth engines for the locality.
