"Behind every One Commune One Product (OCOP)-starred product lies a quietly operating support system: technical staff, experts, trade fairs, and e-commerce platforms. OCOP cannot go far without forward-looking policy support," affirmed Nguyen Huy Nhuan, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hoa Binh province.
A safe agricultural products store in Tan Lac district.
From 2018 to 2020, the initial phase of the OCOP programme, Hoa Binh province mobilised over 47.5 billion VND to support its implementation. According to Nhuan, this funding came mainly from the National Target Programme for New-Style Rural Development, the local budget, and integration with other socio-economic development projects. The province prioritised products with strong market potential, stable supply chains, and distinctive cultural identity.
To ensure sustainability, major provincial programmes were designed to support OCOP in parallel. Notably, Resolution No. 01-DA/TU by the provincial Party Committee's Standing Board (2021) supports farmer members in agricultural production and product consumption. Other relevant projects include Resolution No. 03-DA/TU on agricultural development aligned with new-styled rural construction and the 2021–2025 tourism development plan. Thanks to this integration, OCOP stakeholders benefit not only from specialised policies but also from additional resources such as infrastructure, training, trade promotion, interest rate subsidies, and land access.
District-level administrations are also encouraged to allocate their own budgets for the OCOP programme. Districts such as Luong Son, Tan Lac and Kim Boi took the initiative to use funds from agricultural and cooperative economic development to support packaging upgrades, label printing, facility construction, and cold storage for cooperatives with OCOP products. In some areas, district leaders even worked directly with banks to resolve credit challenges for producers.
With timely and targeted financial support, many OCOP products in Hoa Binh have made notable progress. Their raw material zones have been stabilised, processing lines upgraded, and quality certifications such as VietGAP and HACCP achieved.
Aiming to shift local specialties from "homemade thinking" to a market-oriented mindset, Hoa Binh has launched diverse trade promotion campaigns, from traditional fairs to e-commerce platforms, from product showcases to export gateways.
Early in the OCOP rollout, the Department of Agriculture and Environment organised business-matching delegations and product promotion events across Northwestern provinces. Hoa Binh also hosted regional OCOP fairs, giving local specialties a platform to shine. Highland markets and annual agricultural fairs in Hoa Binh city attracted thousands of visitors, resulted in consumption contracts, and expanded retail distribution through supermarkets and clean food chains.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the province swiftly pivoted to digital trade promotion. The provincial Centre for Industrial Promotion and Development Consultancy helped bring OCOP products to platforms such as Postmart, Voso, Shopee, and Sendo. "By the end of 2024, about 3,000 agricultural and OCOP products from Hoa Binh were introduced online, contributing to the sale of over 1,300 tonnes of produce. Some have even secured export orders to the US, Japan, and the EU, unprecedented prior to the OCOP programme, said Duong Quoc Thang, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade.
The provincial New-style Rural Development Coordination Office played a key role in connecting with e-commerce firms, while technical staff assisted individual households in creating online stores, photographing products, writing descriptions, and adding QR codes.
Currently, there are around 15 safe agricultural product stores across the province, showcasing OCOP and local specialty products. Bui Quoc Hoan, Vice Chairman of the Luong Son district People's Committee, said that in addition to distribution channels, the district prioritises OCOP brand communication. Stakeholders receive support to design professional logos and packaging, complete traceability profiles, and print QR codes and anti-counterfeit labels. All starred products must adhere to the national OCOP brand identity system while maintaining a distinctive regional imprint. Some products are even supported with promotional costs on provincial news outlets, websites, and the Hoa Binh agricultural brand fanpage.
Thanks to strong policy backing, the OCOP brand in Hoa Binh is gaining recognition. More than just high-quality goods, OCOP products have become "cultural ambassadors" of the Muong, Thai and Dao ethnic minority communities, preserved and elevated by the very hands of local people.
Over the past three years, the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh has begun redefining its position on Vietnam’s service landscape with a series of distintive commercial models, from highland night markets, pedestrian-friendly streets, to logistics centres tied to local agricultural products.
Hoa Binh city has marked a significant step in sustainable forest management as nearly 1,450 hectares of its plantation forests have been granted Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, an international standard required to access major wood markets such as the EU, the US, and Japan.
Construction on the Xuan Thien Hoa Binh lime and light powder factory in Yen Bong commune, Lac Thuy district - a key project of Hoa Binh province - started on April 24.
Hoa Binh city is transitioning to modern and sustainable agriculture by leveraging its natural advantages to efficiently develop crop cultivation and animal husbandry. The city is applying scientific and technical advancements to farming, processing, and distribution while expanding export markets, significantly increasing production value and incomes for farmers.
Hoa Binh province’s economy posted an impressive Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth rate of 12.67% in the first quarter of 2025, representing a 12.76% year-on-year increase, the highest rate recorded since the beginning of the current tenure, according to the provincial Statistics Office. This robust growth reflects years of strategic groundwork and sets a strong foundation for the province’s annual growth target of over 10%.
With a focus on cash crop farming with science - technology application and brand building, Lac Thuy district is gradually increasing production value, improving people's life quality, and laying the foundation for sustainable socio-economic development.
