(HBO) – The Sustainable Forest Management Component of the Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation (VFBC) Project funded by the USAID, in collaboration with the project implementation unit (DAI) organized an initial workshop on the development of bamboo supply chain in the northern province of Hoa Binh.
Participants to the event include representatives of the VFBC
management board, provincial departments, branches, and a number of enterprises
and cooperatives
Participants
contribute ideas at the workshop.
According to report, Hoa Binh province is home to about 16,658
hectares of bamboo, grown mainly in Da Bac, Mai Chau, Kim Boi and Cao Phong
districts. Bamboo not only contributes to increasing the province’s forest
coverage but also creates livelihoods for local people.
But locals here have yet to invest in growing bamboo trees,
unaware of the techniques for growth, maintenance and harvesting of bamboo or
bamboo shoots. There is also the hurdle of unstable prices, lack of market
information and limited investment in bamboo processing.
At the workshop, delegates reviewed the development potential of
bamboo in Hoa Binh province and the project's operational plan in an effort to
develop bamboo supply chains and contribute to the Sustainable Forest
Management Component of bamboo production in the province./.
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.
