Hoa Binh province joined Vietnam’s national "One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme in 2019, not simply as a mountainous region following central policy, but with a clear vision to revive the cultural and agricultural values in its villages and crops.
Five years on, OCOP in Hoa Binh has gone beyond product counts and star ratings. It has transformed local production mindsets, revitalised cooperatives and household businesses, and strengthened collaboration between authorities and farmers, while preserving cultural identity amid development.
At the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival, Hoa Binh’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism put on display a range of local OCOP products tied to tourism.
The province’s OCOP journey began with a product evaluation of local products like ripe oranges and honey in Cao Phong district in late 2019. These items then were soon be judged on packaging, QR codes, and production standards.
From national policies
Launched nationally in 2018, the OCOP programme aims to restructure rural economies and elevate traditional products for modern markets. In April 2019, Hoa Binh province approved its OCOP implementation plan through 2020, with a vision to 2030, and established a strong multi-level governance structure to guide local adaptation. Districts such as Cao Phong, Luong Son, Tan Lac, and Mai Chau quickly joined the programme.
Officials held training sessions and visited remote communities to encourage the revival of traditional crafts such as brocade weaving, duck farming, and herbal cultivation. OCOP was also integrated into the province’s new rural development strategy, with strong support from local unions and Party organisations.
From 2018 to 2020, over 47.5 billion VND was invested in OCOP activities, including training, product standardisation, and trade promotion, according to Nguyen Huy Nhuan, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment.
To new procedures for traditional products
In Mai Chau district, women once weaving by firelight now learn to photograph their products and meet hygiene standards. In Luong Son district, pomelo growers were introduced to QR codes and anti-counterfeit labelling, early steps in transforming local goods into competitive market products.
Hoa Binh strictly follows national OCOP criteria. After commune-level screenings, districts support documentation for provincial evaluation. Products are assessed across six categories, including quality, packaging, traceability, and cultural storytelling.
To assist producers, the province provided intensive training, both in-person and online during the COVID-19 pandemic, on business planning, branding, and certification processes such as VietGAP and HACCP.
By 2020, Hoa Binh had 70 certified OCOP products, 18 with four stars and 52 with three stars, produced by 59 cooperatives, businesses, and households.
Beyond certifications, OCOP in Hoa Binh has professionalised rural production, helping farmers not only cultivate but also market and brand their goods. For a province rich in cultural identity but economically challenged, the programme offers a sustainable path for preserving tradition while reaching wider markets.
The province has also laid a solid policy foundation to support OCOP’s long-term growth.
As part of efforts to restructure and accelerate the development of its industrial and handicraft sectors, Hoa Binh province is focusing on the development of industrial parks (IPs) and industrial clusters (ICs) with synchronous infrastructure to attract strong investment.
In recent times, Hoa Binh province has shown its determination and high sense of responsibility in seriously implementing the directives of the Party Central Committee and its Politburo and Secretariat regarding the streamlining of the political system’s organisational apparatus and the development of a two-level local administration system. The aim is to build a commune-level administration that is close to the people, attentive to their needs, and capable of quickly responding to the demands of both businesses and citizens, while also opening up new development spaces.
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.
